Lightning Strikes, Maybe Once Maybe Twice
by cuddlebeans
Summary: Since childhood, Beth Greene has felt someone there with her. She sees visions of man with eyes as dark as the night sky. Growing up she can see him and feel his pain, emotionally & physically. After a series of drug related flashbacks, Daryl Dixon comes to realize that the dreams of the girl he'd been seeing were not flashbacks at all.
1. Chapter 1

The muggy summer heat made Daryl's head feel hazy and foggy, the thin black t-shirt sticking to his skin like a fresh bandage. Exhaling deeply, he takes another drag off of his cigarette, awaiting his older brother, Merle, to show up with some more booze. The broken down trailer that had belonged to his grandparents so many years ago was now in shambles. Between the years of damage and the memories that haunted the place, he wasn't surprised it looked the way it did now.

Daryl's old man was a piece of shit. And that was a nice way of putting it. Will Dixon had never done a thing worthwhile a day in his life. From the moment Daryl had been born, he had known nothing but pain and suffering at the hands of the man who was supposed to show him right from wrong, protect him from the harsh world. Instead, Will had thrust Daryl into it head first, like throwing a kid into a pool and expecting them not to drown. Only Daryl didn't drown. He struggled, he kicked and tried not to suck air into his lungs. Thankfully, Merle had always been there to jump in after him, pull him out in one piece as best as he could. Fists up, ready to take on their own man like he had done so many times before.

Their momma wasn't much better. It wasn't that she was a terrible mother, but she wasn't a great one either. Long before Merle or Daryl had come into the world, their mother had already been consumed by Will Dixon, a hollow shell of a woman, tears always ready to fall. In the beginning, when Daryl was young, she would try to shield him from his father's violence, spare him the burden but as time went on, it became more evident that there was no way to protect Daryl from Will. Merle took the brunt of the beatings, often hiding his younger brother when Will would come home from a weekend bender, looking to pick a fight with anyone who'd give him the time of day.

They were both long gone now. Will had driven himself straight off the road one night, just before Summer began, drunk on moonshine just as he had been Daryl's whole life. When the sheriff showed up on the doorstep that next morning, it was a relief. There were no tears from their mother, no heartfelt stories of Christmas mornings or family outings. They were finally free from the monster that had kept them captive for so long, but why did they still feel as if they were in chains? Their mother went in her sleep a few years later, bible clutched tightly to her chest. Daryl had brought her some groceries from the food pantry when he found her sitting up in the old recliner, a sense of peace on her face he had never seen before.

Merle wasn't surprised. Said it was only a matter of time before they both keeled over. When they took over the rest of the trailer, it wasn't much of a difference. Daryl didn't feel an emptiness or a sadness, it just was.

His old pick up barreling towards him, Daryl moves to the side to make room for his brother's vehicle, abandoning the cigarette butt. Merle gets out of the truck, case of PBR in hand.

"Did real good, little brother. Sold a whole sheet to a bunch of dumb ass college kids. Little do they know that whole last batch was bunk!"

Merle howls in laughter, tossing a beer to Daryl. "I swear, it's a placebo effect or somethin'."

"They ain't gonna notice when they don't start trippin'?"

"Nah, all they gotta do is try it one time and they think they're trippin'. Ya tell them they need an extra tab or somethin' to make up fer it. Works every time, trust me."

Merle had been making and selling acid, sometimes successfully, for the past few months. He had met this girl at a Lynyrd Skynyrd, real weird, who had gotten Merle hooked on the idea of making some extra cash. Since they had the space and she'd had the knowledge to make it, they'd seemed like a match made in heaven. Between pawning some things they had stolen and pulling some favors from a few buddies of his, Merle had gotten his hands on everything they'd needed to make their first batch. It turned out well enough, a little too well actually, to the point where they'd sold all the had in the first week.

Daryl had been hesitant about trying it after seeing how Merle reacted the first time. Laughing and blubbering, not making any sense, not that he usually did. When Daryl was younger, around middle school, Merle gave him his first joint. That was easy enough to get used to, considering he had been smoking cigarettes since the fifth grade but acid was something different entirely. Even at twenty years old, the idea of trying something like that scared him. Merle had been using other drugs for years and it wasn't anything that Daryl wasn't used to be around, but the thought of losing control like that was something he wasn't sure if he was up to.

"C'mon, Darlene. Don't be such a fuckin' pussy. Ya saw me take it and my face didn't melt off, did it?"

"I guess not." Daryl looked down at the tiny piece of paper, wondering how something so small and insignificant looking could make you act and feel so strange.

"Yer gonna be fine. Can't sell the shit if ya haven't tried it, right?"

Daryl nodded his head, putting the tiny square to his tongue.

"Thatta boy! Buckle up fer a wild ride, baby brother!" Merle gripped his shoulder tightly.

At first he didn't notice it at all. Tiny, subtle changes in the air. The way the light would move when he moved his head, tiny rainbows catching as he blinked his eyes. Looking down at his hand, his skin feels strange and looks almost, effervescent. Waving it in front of his face, he sees a trail of hands moving behind, slowly.

Looking up, he feels his brothers eyes on him, the look on his face almost proud. It makes Daryl feel uncomfortable, Merle looking at him like that.

"Ya alright there, kid?"

"Uh huh." He chokes out, the voice coming from his throat not sounding like his own.

Thinking it might calm him down a little, Merle turns on the TV. "Let's find ya somethin' real good to trip out on here." The channels begin flipping on the screen and Daryl feels himself slipping into a tunnel vision, darkness encompassing his peripheral vision.

"Ohh, Alice in Wonderland, that's some grade A trippin' shit right there. Ya picked the right night to drop, heh heh."

Eye's widening at the blonde girl on the screen in as he watches her fall down the rabbit hole. He had seen this movie as a little kid a couple of times and remembered the scene but now it was like he was falling right there with her, plummeting down the dark hole, the smell of earth wafting in his nostrils. Following Alice down the hallway, he continues on her adventure, both in wonder and horror of everything she comes across.

By the time Alice meets the Cheshire Cat, he's pretty sure he can feel his throat swelling closed, that grin looking far too similar to his father's. Those yellow eyes hiding in the dark. Leave it to him to be afraid of the kookiest character in the whole movie, not the Red Queen or the Walrus eating up those poor, innocent baby clams but the Cheshire Cat. Laughing and cackling as his belt came down on Daryl's back, his other hand pushing his mother back, tears streaming down her face.

It all became too real, too much, too soon. Before he even could realize it, his legs lifted him off the couch, unsteady and shaky like a newborn deer.

"What's the matter? Ya trippin' baby brother?" Merle's eyes seemed too blue, too clear for once. Not the usual bloodshot slits staring back at him.

"It's too much."

"Should have known. Maybe should have torn that tab in half fer ya after all."

He turned off the TV, opting for a record instead, hoping something with less imagery would ease Daryl's mind. "Just chill, try not to think so much."

Putting his hands on his head and closing his eyes, all Daryl can see is Alice's face as if she were standing right in front of him. He can make out every freckle, every dimple. Gulping hard, he tries to think of anything else but falling down that hole, the greedy cat's eyes. The soft music fills his head and his breathing starts to relax.

He's not sure how much time goes by, but by the time he opens his eyes again, Alice's journey is reflected on the ceiling. Only now, she's riding a horse, long blonde hair flowing behind her. The horse a rich, chocolate brown, he swears he can almost feel the fur like velvet under his fingers, touching them together to make sure it's not real, just the drug clouding his mind. Approaching a stream, she comes to a stop, getting off the horse carefully.

Kneeling down to the water, she cups her hands, lifting them to her lips for a drink. Alice sits for a moment, looking back from the water and the forest to her horse. Putting out a hand to pet her horse's' head, it becomes startled, pulling back. Alice screams in horror and falls as the horse strikes her, taking off in the other direction. Daryl gasps in horror, feeling the hit just as hard as she has, only realizing it as Merle is lifting him up off the ground.

"Is she alright? Is Alice okay?"

"What the fuck are you talkin' about? I turned that shit off over an hour ago."

"I saw her, I saw Alice fall-"

"Ya didn't see shit, yer trippin' yer fuckin' face off! What yer seein' ain't real."

"But I felt it, she fell off her horse and I felt it."

"Nah, I was taking a piss and I heard ya fall off the couch. There weren't no horses, no Alice, you'll see."

Pressing his hand to his face, he can still feel the impact and sure enough the next day, there's a bump the size of a goose egg. When Daryl tried to explain it away to Merle, he chalked it up to the acid. Told him it made you see and feel things you'd never have normally experienced before and if those things were real, you were going to feel them even more intensely.

It's been almost ten years since the night with Alice and the tab of acid. After that night, Daryl wasn't sure how to describe it to people when they had asked him what it was like. After that first trip, Merle had Daryl selling tabs out by the high school, around the local teenage hangouts. He had said it would be creepy if someone like him was hanging around all those kids. Daryl still had a baby face at the time, all the girls around would be sure to buy from him before heading out to party that weekend.

"What's it like?" One of the girls asked him, batting her lashes like bambi.

Daryl shrugged. "Makes ya see shit, makes ya feel pretty weird too, I guess."

"What kind of weird?" She smacked her gum at him obliviously. A part of Daryl wished he was selling her a bum batch, but this was strong as hell. Sure to make her trip her pretty little face off, as Merle would say.

"Mmm makes music real nice. Makes ya see lots of pretty colors and stuff too."

"What? Like a fun house or somethin'?" She drawls, grinning up at him.

"Nah, like Alice in Wonderland. You'll fall down the rabbit hole."

"Really?" Her eyes widen in disbelief.

"Sure." Taking the foil pouch from his shirt pocket, he tucks it in her hand. "Ten bucks."

"What?" Look confused, slips a five dollar bill out of her shorts. "Merle said five?"

"Well, I say ten." Cocking a grin, he takes the money from her, slyly tickling her palm with his fingers.

"Happy tripping."

Walking away, he lights up a cigarette, pleased with himself for making a little profit for himself.

It hadn't taken long for Merle to graduate from manufacturing psychedelics to turning the trailer into a full on meth lab. Daryl wasn't keen on the idea initially, but when Merle had promised him how much money it would make them, he shut up pretty quick. They started out small, selling to tweaker housewives around town to moving up to truck stops and biker bars. Merle had his girlfriend and her buddies stealing sudafed from any pharmacy and drugstore they could get their sticky fingers on. Things picked up after a few months and before they knew it, they had a steady clientele. Knowing he didn't have much other chance but to stick with his brother, Daryl went along with it. Selling and distributing, taking the girls to make runs, he'd become Merle's right hand man in the operation and they were making good money.

It wasn't until Merle started smoking it that things got out of hand. He'd started becoming increasingly paranoid, telling Daryl that somebody he'd ripped off was looking for him, out in the woods watching, waiting for him to leave.

"There ain't nobody out there. Ya haven't slept in days, Merle. That's why yer tweakin' so hard."

"Nah, that ain't it. I don't gotta sleep to know there's eyes on me."

"Don't help ya got a brain full of drain-o and rat poison." Daryl shook his head, picking up a trail of beer cans from the night before.

"I bet ya it's that fuckin' bitch," Merle rubs his hand on his chin, "she's fuckin' around on me with another dealer. Never fuck a girl who uses, baby brother. Don't want ya fer yer dick, just yer drugs."

"She's just as bat shit crazy as you are but I don't think she's screwin' somebody else. Too busy pickin' her face and pluckin' her eyebrows to worry about anythin' else." Daryl grimaced at the thought of Merle's girlfriend. Since they'd started making and using, she'd dropped a lot of weight, her hair stringy and dingy, her face hollow and sunken out like a zombie.

"Wouldn't put it past her fer a fuckin' second. Bitch don't know when to stop."

A few days later, Daryl had gotten back from a deal, selling all he had to a group of burn outs from the community college one city over when he got a call on his burner phone from one of their buddies. Merle had been right. His girlfriend had been fucking around with somebody else. Not a rival dealer, but an undercover agent. By the time he got back to the trailer, Merle was gone and the entire place was ransacked, broken beakers and empty bottles of booze littering the ground.

Luckily, she'd only been out to get Merle, letting him take the fall for the entire operation. Feeling more lost and alone than ever before, Daryl was at a loss. What was he supposed to do? Merle had been the only family, the only friend, he'd ever known. The only path in life he knew to follow was the one lead by his brother.

Telling himself he couldn't fall into this shit anymore, this was his chance to get it together. Time to go straight. There was no reason he couldn't do it. Merle's friends weren't any of his, only by association anyways. If he could keep it together, keep his head straight, maybe he wouldn't end up in jail too. Looking for a job was the easy part, getting one was difficult. With what little had had left on him the day of the arrest, he was able to make it by until landing a job at an auto shop. Everything else he and Merle had made was seized, leaving him hunting for food until he got his first paycheck.

The money was shit, just above minimum wage, but it was better than nothing. Scrimping and saving over time, he eventually left the trailer, finding a cheap apartment close to the shop. Between his shitty truck and his equally shitty bike, Daryl was actually proud of the things he'd accumulated for himself, having nothing to show for his life prior to his brother's incarceration.

Beth Greene had always lived a sheltered life for the most part. Being the youngest child of three, it was no wonder her father kept such a close eye on her from the get go. The Green farm had been in their family for over 160 years and it was the thing that made her father the most proud, the thing that kept him going no matter what. Hershel Greene was not a bad man, or a mean one, but a strict one.

Having had a turbulent relationship with alcohol in his early years, Hershel had to learn life lessons the hard way, hardening him slightly. His first wife, Josephine, struggled to keep him clean and sober for many years, often resulting in screaming matches on the front porch of their farmhouse, echoing down the country road, her cries bellowing in the distance. Being a vet, Hershel was a very intelligent man, but it made it that much easier for him to succumb to his own demons. By the time his first child, Maggie, was born, he swore off alcohol entirely.

He kept his promise for many years until Josephine fell ill and died, devastating he and Maggie entirely. Doing his best not to fall off the wagon, Hershel tried to be strong for his daughter. Eventually, he met Annette, much to Maggie's dismay. Having a son, Shawn, from her previous marriage, Hershel had hoped that he and Maggie would become fast friends and their family could become one in time. Although Maggie was reluctant at first, she did grow to love her step mother and brother.

Beth was born when she was six, the final, complete addition to their family, making them one. Hershel promised that he would never let anything get in the way of his children leading happy, successful lives. And he didn't. Shawn and Maggie were expected to have high grades, plenty of after school activities, wonderful manners, all qualities an ideal child would have. In his eyes, of course. Beth did her best to follow suit, always much more timid and quiet than her older siblings. Often crying and getting her feelings hurt easily, choosing to play alone as opposed to riding bikes with neighborhood kids.

Hershel worried about his youngest daughter. He confided in his wife that maybe they were coddling her too much, wanting nothing but to tie her apron strings, knowing good and well that Annette was dead set on keeping her in her shell for as long as she could. Wanting to keep your children safe and keeping them exposed from the world are two very different things.

When Beth turned ten, Hershel and Annette decided it was time for her to learn to ride her own horse. Most times she'd sit behind Maggie or Shawn, little arms clutching tightly around their middles, excited but nervous to be so high up off the ground.

"Nelly is old and a little skittish, but I think you're gonna do just fine all the same." Hershel places his daughter on top of the saddle, checking her helmet one final time to make sure it was secure.

"You sure, Daddy? I know I took the lessons with Otis and everything but I'm still scared."

"You're gonna do just fine, Darlin'. Don't you worry." Tapping her nose with his index finger, he smiles at her, amazed at how much she's grown.

In only a few short months, Beth had become more independent. Hershel knew immediately the horse had something to do with it. At first she was hesitant, afraid to take the horse out any time her mother would encourage her to practice but by the time Annette was calling her in for dinner, Hershel had to practically rip her off himself.

After school every day it became a regular routine. Beth coming home, doing some homework and having a snack, then racing outside to saddle Nelly, helmet or not. As much as they'd threaten her to wear the helmet, Beth would often forget, running out of the house with it in hand, but leaving it in the stable along with her shoes. Nelly gave her a sense of freedom she hadn't known existed, the wind flowing through her hair, making her feel like she was flying. Her father may have called Nelly nervous but she had yet to see a paranoid bone in her body.

One Saturday, Hershel and Annette were heading to the farmer's market, leaving Maggie in charge of her siblings. Maggie wasn't a bad babysitter but she didn't exactly do much sitting. Primarily it involved watching TV and talking on the phone, but it was better than having Patricia or someone else come watch them for the day.

"Ya put on the helmet, you hear me, Beth? I ain't draggin your ass to the ER today, I can promise you that!" Maggie hollers from the porch as Beth runs to the stables, apple in hand for Nelly.

"Yeah, sure. After I feed her!" Ignoring her sister's warning, she hops up on Nelly, taking off for their favorite spot over by a small stream.

Normally when her parents were home, they kept a close eye on Beth, making sure she and Nelly didn't leave the safety of the farm, but knowing that Maggie wouldn't care or say anything, she raced to her destination excitedly. Taking off, she tightens her grip on Nelly's sides, feeling secure on the horse she loves so much. It only being the early afternoon, they'd have all day to ride around the farm and the surrounding woods, exploring further and further. The excitement of knowing she wasn't supposed to go this far pushing her to go further.

Between the woods and the farm was a small creek, surrounded by a small meadow. On days when she was able to escape the confines of the farm fence, or if she was lucky enough to drag Shawn or Maggie with her, this was her favorite place to go. There was something so calming, so beautiful and peaceful about this place. After reading iThe Secret Gardeni for a book report, Beth decided that this place would be her secret garden. Of course everyone in her family already knew about it, it would still be an exciting, secret place for her to go.

Coming up on the creek, she slows down, letting Nelly know she's ready to stop. Hopping off Nelly carefully, she kneels down in front of the cool, clear water, cupping her hands together for a drink. Savoring the relief on her dry throat, Beth smiles to herself. Looking up at her meadow, her very own secret garden, she thinks how lucky she is to have her own horse and all this space to roam, even if she has to sneak away to do it.

"C'mon, Nelly. Drink up." Smirking at her horse, she admires how beautiful Nelly is. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkling in the early afternoon sun.

The two stay side by side drinking for a while, until Beth decides to get back up. Not thinking to approach Nelly carefully, she puts a hand on her side. Instantly, the horse pulls back, knocking Beth down hard. A blow to the side of her head leaves her knocked out, just on the side of the creek. Coming in and out of consciousness, she sees the eyes of a man, dark, deep blue. Having never seen him before, she knows she can't place him, but she feels him there with her. His concern runs deep in her mind, almost like a pair of arms scooping her up, comforting her.

About thirty minutes later, Shawn finds her, frantically taking her in his arms, running back to the house as fast as his legs with carry him, screaming Maggie's name, hoping she's got the volume down on the TV low enough to hear him from outside. Not wanting to carry her any further than the porch, Shawn slams his fist on the front door.

"God damn it, Maggie! You weren't watching her!"

Maggie storms outside with a confused look on her face until she sees her younger sister obviously injured, blood gushing from the wound on her head.

"What happened? She wasn't even gone half an hour!"

"It doesn't matter! She's a kid, you know she's not supposed to go outside the fences. Especially on Nelly!"

While Shawn is busy trying to get a hold of Hershel, Maggie kneels down by her sister, propping her hands under her head. "I'm so sorry, Bethy."

Hershel was hysterical, an absolute mess. Having Shawn call an ambulance, he and Maggie rode with Beth and met their parents at the hospital. Maggie tried to hold it all together but she was a disaster too, knowing if she had been more mindful of her sister's wandering, they'd never have been in this situation to begin with.

Arriving at the hospital, Hershel wouldn't even look his eldest daughter in the eye he was so angry. This was the last thing that he had expected to happen. Maggie was absent minded, a real brat most of the time but he never would have thought she would be so careless to leave her little sister unattended for so long. While it ended up being only a mild concussion, Hershel and Annette were more careful than ever with Beth after that, Maggie losing all babysitting rights on top of being grounded for three months.

When Beth woke up, she swore she could still see the stark blue eyes of the man from her dream. She didn't know who he was but a part of her expected him to be there when she woke up.


	2. Chapter 2

For as long as she could remember, Beth had a sense that she wasn't alone. During childhood, she just thought maybe it was something other kids noticed too. Sometimes she would have strange dreams, seeing a man in the woods, hunting squirrels and rabbits, eyes as dark blue as the Chattahoochee River. He was fast and swifting, running through the trees undetected by his prey.

Tossing and turning in her bed, she couldn't escape the imagines of him skinning the animals, slicing their flesh with his knife. At first she felt disgusted, her heart broke for those poor animals dying at the hands of his wild man, but as time went by, she felt his hunger in the pit of her stomach and she understood his need. As the nights went on, she found herself feeling sorry for this man, wishing she could share all the extra leftovers from dinner they had with him. Feeling guilty for ever having wasted food, Beth remembered the man.

After the incident with Nelly, Hershel and Annette became increasingly protective over their daughter, worried for her growing rebelliousness with age. Even before she was grounded, Maggie had been putting them through the runaround herself, sneaking out with boys and getting caught with a cigarette hanging out of red, done up lips one evening with she thought Hershel was asleep. Making sure not to ruffle any feathers with her parents, Beth was more careful with Nelly from then on out, sure to never approach her suddenly again. Shawn was a good brother and son, always looking out for his younger sister. Walking her home from school and taking her to the library some afternoons. Shawn would often tease his sister, making fun of her skinny chicken legs, running forward to give her a flat tire with his shoe. She felt lucky to have such a sweet, loving brother. Sometimes he was a pain but he had a good heart.

Other nights Beth would see flashes of the man, only he was younger, around her age. In a dark, dingy bathroom, she watches a woman crying hysterically as she treats wounds covering his back. Dark, red cuts lining his shoulders and sides, blood dripping profusely. In the hallway an older boy fights the man who did this, Beth assumes to be their father, voices blaring, mouths snarling, shouting words she'd only ever heard from bad movies and TV shows. The next morning she swears the can feel them too, but there are no signs of pain, no scars healing like the man from her dreams.

Throughout the years, the visions become less frequent, hitting her randomly like a case of deja vu, stopping in her tracks trying to see the memory more clearly.

Finishing up at work Daryl washes the day off of his hands, the dirt and oil swirling down the drain, his head hypnotized with exhaustion. Picking up as many hours as he could to be able to afford his apartment, he was only getting one day off a week, if that. It wasn't that he didn't mind working, it was the long hours that left him feeling like a drone, going and going without ever stopping. It was a better deal than peddling drugs for Merle, that was for sure.

More than anything, he was glad to have that life behind him now. Hard work and being dirt poor and alone all the time certainly beat having more money and putting up with Merle's bullshit all the time, that was for sure. And if that meant slaving away at the garage and eating ramen noodles for the rest of his life, Daryl was willing to make that happen.

Coming home from work that night, Daryl doesn't even bother changing out of his oily, stained coveralls, falling right onto his crappy foton, eyes weary with sleep. Out as soon as he hit the pillow, he falls into a deep slumber. Immediately, he can tell it's Alice from all those years before. Only now she's not a little girl anymore, she's a grown woman and a beautiful one at that.

Standing in a well lit kitchen he watches her kneading dough, flour up to her elbows. Her hair is long, almost reaching her waist, a honey blonde color. He wonders if it's natural or she gets it done by some hairdresser. One intricate braid keeps back her hair out of her face, the rest cascading behind her like a waterfall of gold.

Her eyes are that same crystal blue he remembers from years before, as big as saucers. A soft pink dusting her cheeks, he admires a couple spots of flour there from where she must have scratched an itch. Her lips are thin but gorgeous, a dazzling smile hiding behind them. There's no way to make out what she's saying but he sees her lips moving, a grin erupting from them every so often, followed by laughter.

Waking up, he feels the spell braking, the woman fading away from his vision, the smell of yeast and flour filling his nostrils.

He mumbles to himself, getting up to go to the bathroom to pee. "Fuckin' acid flashbacks." Pulling down his coveralls he tries to remember her face more clearly.

Maybe it was a girl he'd seen somewhere else? A client from the shop? Or from a bar around town? There was no denying, without any way of really knowing, that he recognized her face. It had to be the same Alice from all those years ago. If given the chance to pick her out in a crowd he knew he'd be able to. It had been so many years since he'd had these dreams. In fact, it had been years since he'd dreamt at all. Most of the time, he was so exhausted from working, sleep came easy without any interruptions but waking up from seeing Alice felt like such a short period of time.

Looking at the alarm clock next to his bedside table, he sees that he was only asleep for over two hours, how did that dream feel like such a quick flash, a blink in time?

Heading out to the grocery store with Maggie and Glenn, Beth was eager to get away from the farm. Aside from her nannying job, she didn't spend a lot of time in town. Most weekdays, Glenn would help out on the farm with odds and ends, whatever Hershel needed him to do that he and Otis couldn't take care of on their own. Beth had become quite fond of her brother-in-law in the time that she had gotten to know him. He and Maggie were perfect for each other, very different in many ways but they balanced each other out. Something about his playful, loving nature was able to tame the wild child inside of Maggie.

Beth admired that and hoped maybe some day she could find someone that would love her and much as Maggie and Glenn loved each other. Growing up, Hershel had been pretty strict when it came to dating, worried that Beth would end up sneaking away with boys like Maggie had most of her life. The only boy Hershel had every approved of was Jimmy. When he would come over on weekends with his parents, they'd all sit around the living room playing board games and drinking lemonade and sweet tea. At first Beth resented the idea of her parents setting her up and chaperoning but Jimmy grew on her over time.

He was thoughtful, bringing her little gifts that made him think of her, pieces of salt water taffy from the general store or sweet little notes. Of course she knew if Hershel even caught Jimmy giving her these little tokens of affection, he wouldn't be happy. By the time Beth turned fifteen, her Daddy finally let she and Jimmy go to the movies alone together, permitting Shawn and his friends saw the same movie, but still it was a start.

The theater started to get dark and Jimmy whispered in her ear, "Let's ditch 'em." Causing a group of butterflies to emerge from her stomach.

Grabbing her hand, they quickly make a mad dash out of the theater and into another one close by, a gory horror film Beth had been hiding from every commercial for a month prior to that. Pressed up against Jimmy in the dark like that, she didn't feel even a little scared. It was not unlike that day she and Nelly explored further and further away from the farm. The farther she wandered, the more fun the danger became.

"Ain't scared, are ya?" He whispers to her, running a hand up and down the side of her body.

"Nope. Not scared of nothing."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." She whispers back, thrashing her lips into his, loving every sloppy experimental kissing coming after that.

By the time the movie had ended next door, Shawn had put two and two together and came looking for them pretty quick. She'd never seen Jimmy move as fast as she did when her big brother came walking through those doors. Luckily, no one said anything to her daddy and they were even allowed to go out for fries and milkshakes the next weekend.

Pulling up to the grocery store, Beth makes a mental note of all the things they need to pick up for dinner. The tomato harvest had been plentiful so her mother had been making some of her world famous sauce for a lasagna. Maggie and Beth bickering over making a separate vegetarian dish for herself, Glenn in tow behind them rolling his eyes.

"I still can't believe you don't eat meat. This is why you're so damn skinny."

"It's gross, Maggie. I just don't like it. There's no reason other than that."

Glenn chimes in. "I thought most people who grew up on farms get used to that kind of thing. You know, the circle of life or whatever?"

"It's the opposite for me. Something about the eyes of those animals, breaks my heart. I can't do it anymore."

"I'm not thinking about those eyes when I'm biting into a burger, that's for sure." Glenn laughs, throwing a bag of chips into the cart.

"Glenn, I don't think you're thinking at all when you eat. You just detach your jaw and go for it." Maggie teases flatly.

"Exactly. I'm like a snake."

Beth laughs to herself, walking over to the dairy aisle in search of ricotta cheese. Continuing to listen to their banter, she scans the shelves, looking for part skim. Fluttering her eyes shut tightly, she feels a wash of panic running over her, almost like a panic attack. Suddenly, Maggie and Glenn's voices are dulled in the background, a soft murmur behind her.

In front of her, she see's the man from the woods. He's a few years older now, his hair much longer, hanging down over his dark, blue eyes. His face is scruffy, a short beard growing there. In his chapped lips hang a cigarette, his filthy, oil stained fingers coming up to take it from his mouth. Exhaling deeply, she watches his chest rise and fall.

Sitting on a bench outside outside of a brick building, that's as far as she can make out, everything else around him is hazing, blending right back into the shelves of the grocery store. Another man approaches him, looking angry. They argue back and forth for a while, things becoming more heated as he tosses the cigarette from his mouth, getting up to intimidate him. Chests touching, fists clenched, they are yelling at full volume now. Although she can't make out all of the words in addition to the hum of noise behind her, she can feel the tension building and before she can turn back or try to brace herself, she goes flying back into the shelf behind her, packages of cheese plummeting down from the shelves after her.

"Beth!" Maggie runs to her sister, trying to pull her up, looking for any injuries. "What the fuck just happened?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know I-"

Glenn cuts her off, "You were standing there in a daze or something. I kept talking to you but I assumed you were ignoring me for the vegetarian comment and then you didn't answer when we kept walking."

"I don't know, I just got really dizzy for a second like I was gonna black out." Rubbing her hands on her shoulder, she feels the impact of the blow.

"Are you okay? Do you want to go to the ER?"

"Maggie, I'm fine. Don't make a big deal out of this, please."

Glenn gives her a disapproving look, pressuring Maggie to express her feelings. "Maybe you ought to have Daddy take a look at it then?"

"No way in hell. If Daddy hears about this he'll have a heart attack. I'm probably just dehydrated or something. Low blood sugar." She nods her head, trying to put back some of the things she had knocked over. Thankfully there had only been a couple other people in the aisle when it happened, watching in confusion and curiosity.

"Can we please go? I'm mortified."

"Well, you're not driving home." Maggie grabs the keys from her purse as they check out of the register, grocery bags in hand.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to veer off the road because you black out." Glenn teases, throwing the bags in the bed of the pick up truck. "I don't want to say this is what happens when you don't get enough protien but it's true."

Maggie shoots him a look. "Shut up, Glenn."

"It's just low blood sugar, this has happened once before and after I ate, I was fine." She lies through her teeth, hoping to keep them off her back.

"You really scared me, Bethy." Maggie puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm okay, don't worry." Feeling the sore spot on her shoulder already forming into a bruise, she knew it was from the fight, from the man in her visions.

Daryl plopped down on the bench outside the shop, savoring the last cigarette in his pack. Even though it was an expensive habit, it was one of the only vices he kept around. Not having time to even go to a local bar after work anymore, he most he'd indulge in was a six pack of beer once a month or so. He'd come a long way from the days of splitting entire handles of hard alcohol with Merle, followed by all the other things they'd get into when booze was involved.

Most people around town didn't want to believe Daryl had changed. Why would they? He was a Dixon and it was rule of thumb that Dixons didn't change. They were born into this life a piece of shit and he was pretty sure based on how both of his parents had died, that's how you went out too. Once a Dixon, always a Dixon. That's why it was easier to keep his head down, keep to himself. Merle's old gang of buddies would still try to come around every so often but working so much, it wasn't too hard to come up with excuses over time.

One of the guys who Daryl worked with, Martinez, still had some beef with Merle. Martinez had been hooked on meth pretty bad and Merle made sure of that. Messed with his head real good, sometimes giving him extra, making it seem like he was his buddy, like Merle was doing him a favor. Then all of a sudden, he'd expect Martinez to pay up, not like it was a threatening situation, but like Merle really needed the money more than he actually did. This cycle went on for months and months until the shit hit the fan and Merle got knocked on his ass.

Sure enough, Daryl was the first person Martinez went looking for after Merle had left. Naturally, all the other dealers around dried up too, paranoid that they would be delivered the same fate. Martinez was desperate and suddenly without any supplier and a nasty habit to keep up with, his world was falling apart. His drug addiction took a toll on his relationship, striking his wife during a bad come down, causing her to leave him. Naturally, he wanted to take it out on the only Dixon left available to blame his problems on.

Martinez found Daryl coming home from work, hiding in the shadows of the stairwell underneath his apartment. It started off as a heated argument and ended in a scuffle, both men doing a real number on each other before the landlord came to break it up.

"What you starin' at, Dixon?" Martinez spit, looking Daryl up and down in disgust, obviously not over his beef from the past.

"Ain't doin' nothin'. Sitting here enjoying my smoke break. Same as you." Taking another puff, he looked him straight in the eye, standing his guard.

"Uh huh. Wipe that smug ass grin off your face before I gotta do it myself."

"Not tryin' to be smug. Just mindin' my own business."

"You know, I think your brother said the same thing to me a couple times and look where that got me."

"I ain't Merle."

"You're his brother though. You were in it just as much as he was. How come you got off scot free?"

Feeling the tension building, Daryl braces himself, knowing that Martinez is a hot head and has no problem getting in his face again.

"I ain't like that anymore, Cesar. Done a lot of stupid shit cause I was too stupid to think for myself. Merle fucked me up for a long time 'cause of that. I'm sorry ya got caught up in his shit too."

"Oh you're sorry are you? Sorry my wife took off? Took my fucking car? What are you gonna do about that?" He gets closer, his eyes darkening with anger. "What's Merle gonna do about that, huh?"

"Gotta move the fuck on, ain't nothin' I can do fer ya." He spat out, throwing the cigarette to the side, standing to meet Martinez, chest to chest.

"You better fucking watch it, Dixon. When you don't got shit to live for anymore, it's easy to throw it all away, isn't it?"

"Ain't done shit to you. Bein' Merle's partner don't make me any worse than him but it don't mean you can blame me for your bullshit."

Martinez throws the first punch, grazing Daryl's right cheek with his fist. Bouncing back, Daryl meets his punch with a blow to the stomach, Martinez doubling over.

"You fight dirty, ya white trash piece of shit."

Continuing to miss for the next couple of throws, Daryl is confident that he'll make it out unscathed, but before he can get footing on the gravel behind him, Martinez knocks him him down hard, the bench smashing into his shoulder. Pinned against the side of the bench with his coworker on top of him, Daryl has no way out, he can't get up, the weight of the man matching his own.

As Martinez starts to punch his face, he struggles to push him back, visions of Alice flashing through his mind, her soft smile beckoning him. Between the impact of Cesar's fist and the sound of the wooden bench hitting his head, he can almost hear her muffled laughter.


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl does his best to sleep in that morning, hoping to forget the events from the day before. Martinez had done a real number on him but this wasn't the first time he had gotten into a fight with someone from the garage. Their boss was a fair man and he knew good and well that Daryl wasn't likely to have instigated it, being notorious for keeping to himself. Martinez was suspended for a week and Daryl was sent home for the next two days with full pay. Aside from the bruises and black eye, it wasn't too bad of a deal after all.

His eternal clock keeps him from sleeping in past nine and he eventually decides to get up. Not having many days off, he's unsure what to do with himself. Deciding to make a pot of coffee, he turns on the morning news for background noise. Waiting for the coffee to brew he lights a cigarette, feeling the tenderness of his injuries as he clamps his mouth shut.

Pouring the coffee into a mug, he sit down on the couch. Propping his feet up and taking a sip from his cup he sighs, closing his eyes. Even if he did have to get his ass beat to get a paid vacation, it wasn't such a bad deal. Leave it up to Merle to drag him into his shit all the way from jail.

Shutting off the TV and setting down his coffee, he shuts his eyes for a moment, greedily savoring the nicotine buzz.

Waking that morning, Beth feels a sharp pain in her shoulder, her neck and face so sore she can't believe it's not swollen. Whatever had happened at the grocery store must have had more of an impact then she originally thought. Maybe this was a recoil? Getting ready for work, she sees the dark purple bruises forming there on her upper arm and shoulder. Opting for long sleeve, she carefully slides the shirt on, wincing as the fabric bunches up over the sore skin.

Beth had been working as a nanny for the Grimes family since Judith was four months old. The Greenes knew everyone in town, Hershel being a well known vet and farmer. Rick was sheriff deputy and an honorable, decent man. His wife Lori had become fast friends with Annette, as she did her hair down at the beauty parlor. They had one son prior to Judith, Carl, who was a real pill but could be a sweet kid when he wanted to. At twelve, he told his parents it was ridiculous to have a babysitter for him, he could do just fine on his own after school. Lori being the worry wart she was, wouldn't let him walk home from school and insisted on Beth picking him up, scowling the entire way home as she tried to get Carl to laugh or smile, open up to her.

Most afternoons he'd slam his bedroom door and play videogames for hours, wanting nothing to do with Beth and his baby sister unless she had a snack in tow. Although Beth didn't mind, she felt a little lonely sometimes having all her days filled with silence, talking to Judith and singing to her softly. She was a mild tempered baby for the most part. Aside from the occasional diaper rash and a few tantrums here and there, Judith made Beth's job easy.

Lori worked early mornings when the shop opened around eight, giving Beth plenty of time to get to their house in the morning. Some mornings Beth would load up her car with Judith's stroller and walk around the mall window shopping. Other times they would go to the park or if Judith's attention span could handle it, a mommy and me class. Beth enjoyed being a nanny. It gave her a sense of pride that Rick and Lori instilled their trust in her to make sure their soon to be toddler daughter was safe and happy with her.

"Whatta say, Judy? Blocks and cartoons?"

Judith coos back at her happily, putting a plastic block in her mouth. Sitting the baby down on the floor on a blanket in the living room, Beth sits beside her. Rubbing her sore neck and shoulder, she tries to recall the day before and vision of the man getting into that brawl.

Whatever had happened escalated quickly, which was why she had no way to prepare or brace herself for it. Laying on her side, elbow underneath her, she tries to visualize the man's face in her mind. If she squinted hard enough, it was like the dreams and images were tattooed inside on her eyelids. Other times she could only make out the feeling of him. He usually has an angry or upset look on his face when she sees him, or completely blank all together. Beth's momma had always told her that the eyes were the window to the soul and that was most certainly true when it came to him.

His hair is a dark brown, almost black unless he's in the sun. Those times he had been running through the woods, the sun shone on his face, his hair showing natural highlights of chestnut browns. The scruff on his face was a similar color, a few grey hairs peppering his chin. His face looked tired, yet youthful at the same time. Like someone who had been through hard times, the lines and wrinkles telling the story of his past. Beth guessed he couldn't have been more than thirty-five or forty at least, give or take. From the time she had began having visions of this man, his appearance had not changed much, if anything just the length of his hair.

Shoulders broad and strong, she imagines he must work in some sort of manual labor, his hands wide and bulky, often covered in cuts and dirt. She can smell the sweat, the dirt and the oil on him if she concentrates hard enough, like a faint memory lingering in her nostrils. Shutting her eyes tightly, Beth tries to remember every detail, on the right side of his face she can see two small moles. One just above his nose and the other above the corner of his mouth.

Before she can delve deeper into his face, she hears a thud followed by Judy's wail. While Beth had been thinking of the man, Judith had crawled under the coffee table to retrieve a toy and bumped her head.

Trying to console her, Beth scoops her up off the ground, cradling her head.

"Shhhhh, it's okay, sweet girl. I'm so sorry. My head was all over the place and you bumped your head cause of me."

Judith continues to scream, her little face bright red. Thrashing her arms all around, she fights Beth not wanting to settle into her arms.

"Now don't be cross with me, I said I was sorry, didn't I?" Rubbing her hand gently over the spot where there would surely be a bump later, Judith's cries become less frequent but just as loud and steady.

Jumping up, Daryl looks around the apartment. Hearing a baby scream, followed by a woman's voice. Daryl's apartment was fairly small, only a couple of units next to a rental office and as far as he knew, none of his neighbors had children.

"Fuckin' Merle. Never should have taken that shit. Fried my brain for life."

He shakes his head, turning over on the couch. The screams continue and he hears the woman singing softly to the child and instantly he recognizes as Alice's.

"Fuck." He mumbles to himself.

"Hello?" Beth calls out into the hallway having heard a man's voice she doesn't recognize.

Rick usually worked throughout the day and she rarely saw him unless she was helping out Lori in the evenings.

"Rick?" Holding Judith tightly to her chest, she grabs a kitchen knife from the block, ready to defend she and the baby from an intruder if necessary.

"Jesus Christ, I'm losing my fucking mind. This shit's gotta be deposited in my spinal column or something."

Eyes widening, she walks down the hallway, peering into Lori, Rick and Carl's bedroom but seeing no one.

"Who's there? Carl, if you're playing a joke on me, I'll kill you."

Daryl looks outside the blinds of his apartment, expecting to see an explanation to the voices in his head. Hoping to see a neighbor or someone only to be disappointed by an empty parking lot.

Getting up and looking through the peephole in the front door, he comes up empty handed. Opening the door to the same results, he's sure now it has to be coming from his head.

"Hello?"

He hears her voice call out again, clearer now.

"Rick?"

"Jesus Christ, I'm losing my fucking mind. This shit's gotta be deposited in my spinal column or something."

Daryl went back into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Crawling back under the covers, he hoped the darkness would help shut out the noise in his head.

"Who's there? Carl, if you're playing a joke on me, I'll kill you."

"Rick? Carl? Maybe I got a fucking multiple personality disorder."

As some of the other visions have come to him in days past, this one comes on as no surprise, now that the voices as so loud. Eyes dilating, tunnel vision narrowing in, he sees Alice cradling a baby in her arms, a little girl. In one hand she's got a kitchen knife and a scared look on her face, ready to cut somebody up.

"Damn Alice, somebody got on your bad side."

Beth puts down the knife, shaking her head. Sure enough, there was no one in the house. Judith's cries and faded into whimpers, the tears on her cheeks beginning to dry. Wiping them off with the back of her sleeve, Beth kisses her cheek.

"Guess I'm just crazy, huh Judy?"

"If yer crazy, I'm fuckin' bat shit, girl."

Flashing into her mind suddenly, she sees the man in a dark room, his face littered with cuts and bruises.

"Hello?"

"I gotta go see a doctor about this shit."

She can see him clearly, his lips moving as if he's sitting right in front of her.

"Can you hear me...or see me? I guess?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Uh, yeah. I can see ya. Thought ya were ready to cut somebody with that knife."

Setting Judith down in her playpen, she sits down in the couch, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed. Out of all the times she had seen him, nothing had ever felt this real, this crisp.

"Oh jeeze. Um, okay." Putting her hand to her chest, she feels like her heart is going to explode.

"Ya alright there?"

"Yeah, just trying to grasp this situation." Beth laughs, closing her eyes tightly, wondering if he'll be gone when she opens them. He's not.

"Yer tellin' me. I'm about ready to go have myself committed."

"Who are you?"

"Could ask the same thing about you, couldn't I?"

Putting her hands to her face, she lets out a deep breath. "My name is Beth."

"Oh. I was about to ask if yer name was Alice."

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"That's who I thought ya were."

"Alice? Alice who? I really am losing my mind." Beth struggled to fight back tears.

"No, no, it's okay. I wasn't tryin' to freak ya out. I just thought ya were an acid flashback er somethin'. Can you talk to a hallucination? Guess I shouldn't be asking a hallucination that."

Swinging his feet over the side of the bed, he but he elbows to his knees, propping his hand under his chin.

"No, I mean, I can see you. Kind of. It's sort of dark."

Getting up from the bed, he opens the bedroom door and a flood of light comes in, revealing a small bedroom, stark with furniture. One small bed and a nightstand, a dresser in the corner.

"Better?"

"Yeah, I can see now." Feeling shaky, she tries to settle her breathing. "Can you see me?"

Sitting in a cozy looking living room, he sees her laying down on a couch lengthwise. Her hair is braided up into a ponytail on top of her head, a blue bandana tied at the end. She's got on a blue long sleeve shirt a few shades darker paired with jeans and converse sneakers.

On the carpet in front of the couch toys are strewn everywhere. In a playpen he sees the baby from earlier snoozing softly, her cheeks red from all the crying she had done earlier.

"Yeah, I see ya. That yer kid?"

Her cheeks instantly flushed red, a grin painting her lips. "No, that's Judith. I'm a nanny."

Shrugging his shoulders, he shits down the small kitchen table, going back to the now lukewarm coffee from earlier.

"Shit, so I got a baby and a nanny livin' in my head. That's great."

"I don't think we live in your head. I live in Georgia."

"Girl, you gotta be shittin' me. iI/i live in Georgia."

"This is too weird, too weird. I know I've seen you before but, why can't I place you?"

"Don't think we've ever actually met."

"What, just in our heads?"

"Fuck if I know." He chuckles to himself, lighting up a second cigarette.

"Ugh. That smells so bad."

He takes a drag. "You can smell this?"

"Smell it? I can taste it." She coughs and fans her hand as if there's smoke in front of her face.

"Jesus, this is fuckin' crazy."

"Where do you live?"

"Atlanta. Where do you live?"

"Sannah."

This was surreal. The girl inside his head was not only a living, breathing person but she was living in the same state, only four hours away.

"Please put that out, you're killing me." She makes a face, disgusted.

"Alright, alright." He puts out the cigarette, hoping it would have calmed his nerves.

"What's your name?"

"Daryl."

"iDaryl/i." She repeats with purpose, wiping back a few tears that fall. "I like that. I'd always wondered what your name was."

"Ya alright? Look like yer about to pass out."

"I'm a little overwhelmed. Um, just trying to gasp my head around all this."

Daryl nods his head, wishing he knew what to say back to her. It all felt crazy. Sitting in his kitchen talking to the girl who had haunted his dreams for years was right there. Right in front of him clearly communicating. Before he has the chance to respond, his phone rings.

"Hold on, girl." Looking at the caller ID, he sees the toll free listing, knowing that it was Merle. "Shit."

"What's wrong? Who's that?"

"My stupid brother. Um, is there a way we can try to talk about this later? I gotta take this?"

She sits up, the red color draining from her pale cheeks. "I don't know how this works, Daryl. It's not like a phone."

"Five o'clock. Close your eyes and just wait, we'll figure it out. If not, I'm sure we'll see each other in our fucked up heads, right?"

Beth nods her head. "Okay. I'll see you then."

Concentrating on trying to fade her out of his mind, Daryl answers the phone, watching her crystal blue eyes disappear from vision.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey there, baby brother!" Merle called from the other end, sounding more chipper than he usually did. "They're letting me out in a month! Can ya believe they give me parole?"

"If anybody's surprised, it's me." Daryl grumbles back. The thought of Merle being out of prison didn't exactly give him the warm fuzzies. The last thing he wanted to worry about was having to put up with Merle's bullshit on top of everything else.

"Told 'em I was gonna be stayin' with you. Gave 'em your address. That okay still?" Merle's voice was genuine now, something behind it a little scared. Daryl could tell he thought he was getting ready to turn him down. Tell him to find a halfway and fuck off.

"Already told ya last time ya called, didn't I? My place ain't big but I'm rarely there so the couch is all yours."

"Can't tell ya how much this means to me, Daryl. I promise things are gonna be different this time around. You'll see."

"I ain't holding my breath for nothing, Merle. Ya sound like every asshole who's ever been incarcerated. Next ya gonna tell me ya found Jesus too? That your cellmate absolve your sins?"

"Just trying to show some appreciation fer once."

"I hope you know between me and your PO, there ain't gonna be fuck ups, Merle. I'm not getting dragged into your shit again. It's been long enough. Got my own life now."

"Listen, I gotta go but I'll be callin' ya in a few days. You'll drive down and come get me?"

"Sure, said I'd take care of it, didn't I?" Daryl goes to hang up the phone but before he can, Merle stops him.

"Wait-"

"What?"

"Thank you, Daryl. I don't know how I'm gonna make it up to ya but I promise I will."

"See it when I believe it."

Beth stood in front of the kitchen sink peeling vegetables for dinner. Her mother played bridge with her friends most afternoons and Hershel wouldn't be home for another hour an half or so, giving her plenty of time to wait around for Daryl. The idea of actually being able to communicate this way was absurd. For so long he had just been a flash in her memory and now she even had a name to put to his face.

That was the most sobering fact of all. Knowing that he was a real, living breathing person and not just a figment of her imagination. Daryl _was_ real. She knew that now. It wasn't about being able to see and hear him, but knowing that he was there, moving and thinking in the back of her mind at all times that sent a shiver through her entire body. This had become real.

He had to be able to see her as clearly as she saw him. She wondered how long she had been in his mind, the visions and why he had thought she was an acid flashback. That made her chuckle a little. Not having known him for very long, outside of her dreams, Beth knew it wasn't her place to judge him. She knew everyone had their demons, even her father with alcohol. Daryl's were just different.

Cutting up the potatoes and carrots, she adds them to the pot of soup, stirring thoroughly. Thinking back to those pangs of hunger she had experienced as a child, she felt immense sadness for him. Deep inside, she could feel his kindness, his soul behind the years of abuse, the scars covering his body. Parts of him may have been broken for some time, but she felt a strength inside him that outweighed any demon.

What had he seen through Beth's life? Surely her life hadn't been anywhere near the emotional turmoil he'd be forced to endure for so many years. A sheltered farm girl hiding behind her parents? Too weak and naive to open her mouth? Unable to cut the apron strings and untangle herself from their grasp. Suddenly her mind started to swim. Grasping the countertop for support, she steps back.

Daryl's face began to flood her mind, his eyes dark and pensive with thought. Although she couldn't hear him yet, his anxiety coursed through her veins.

"Beth?"

"I'm here."

Sitting down at the kitchen table, she lays her head down, overwhelmed with the emotions flooding her brain, Daryl's features overtaking her senses.

"Ya alright?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Mmm, as good as I can be knowing my piece of shit brother is about to out on parole and comin' to live with me."

She was right. His demons were messier and darker than she had originally anticipated.

"What did he do?"

"Messed around with drugs for a long time. Fucked over a lot of people. Done a lot of stupid shit in his life."

Recalling the older boy from her dreams, she remembers him trying to defend Daryl, pushing back their father, teeth snarling with anger. He would beg over and over again to take it for his brother, not put him through that again.

"Merle?"

He's quiet for a second, completely taken back. She can feel the sharp breath he's taken in, sucking into her lungs like splintered glass.

"...how do you know that?"

Beth had no idea how she knew. When she pictured his face, Merle holding Daryl back, taking the brunt of the beatings, sacrificing himself for his brother, it was like she'd known all along.

"I-I don't know. I just did."

"He's uh," Daryl struggles to find the words to go on, looking as overwhelmed as Beth felt. "getting out in a month."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"He ain't dragging me into his shit again, if that's what you're getting at. Was a long time ago, girl. Don't touch that shit no more."

"I didn't think you were. I wasn't gonna judge you, Daryl."

Not sure if it's his guilt shining through on her or the other way around, she feels a tenderness in her heart she can only describe as remorse.

"It's okay."

"I know you're a good man."

"Girl, you don't know nothing about me."

Getting up from the table with shaking legs, she walks back over to the pot of soup, lifting the lid to stir the contents.

"I may not know how any of this works or why the hell this is happenin' but in my heart, inside," she puts her palm over her heart, knowing he can feel it on his chest too, "you're a good man, Daryl. I've known that."

"Thanks," he grumbles, not ever having received a compliment like that in all his life. Beth had said it so matter of factly, like she had no qualms about his past or who he was.

They both stood in silence for a moment, contemplating one another. Beth wondered how it was they were so in tune. It seemed almost as if their breaths were becoming synchronized, eyes cast blue on blue.

"How do you think this all works?" Beth asked, breaking the spell, Daryl's hand coming up to his mouth to bite at his thumbnail.

"I dunno."

"You feel what I feel, right?"

"Guess so."

"I know I'm still feeling that brawl. My shoulder is killing me."

"Sorry." Daryl scowls, looking down at his lap. "Wouldn't have let it happened if I'd known you'd be gettin' yer ass kicked too."

"Freaked my sister and her husband out pretty good."

"Yeah?"

"We were in the grocery store and I saw you. Saw that man come up to you and you started arguing. Next thing I knew, I'd flown back into the shelf behind me."

"Oh shit. I think I saw some of that. It's a little hazy, ain't gonna lie."

"What happened? If you don't mind my asking?"

Knowing he'd have to explain the story behind Martinez bashing his face in, Daryl hesitated. Taking a deep breath before he begins.

"Merle was pushin' him for a long time. Messin' with his head. Did that to a lot of people. Get 'em hooked, then they're willing to pay anything to feed their habit. Cept when Merle got locked up, Cesar's wife left 'em," looking up at her eyes, she sees him concentrating, taking in the story and absorbing his words like moisture in her pores, "blamed it on Merle and because he wasn't around, figure he'd let me take the blame."

"You're not like your brother though, are you?"

Daryl thinks about it for a second. For all this time, since Merle had been gone, he'd tried so hard not to be like him, not to be a Dixon but at that point in time, he wasn't sure if he could fully answer that question. He had done things he wasn't proud of because it was the only thing he knew to do. The only way he knew how to survive and get by. Being alone made it that much easier to get his shit together. Without his brother ring leading one scam to another, it was like he'd had his life back for the first time. Now that Merle was going to be out on parole, the thought of having that taken away from him was scarier than he'd like to admit.

He doesn't answer her and she can feel him hesitating.

"I can tell, I can feel it."

She touches her shoulder and neck, running her hand over the sore skin there.

"Is it crazy that I can feel that too?"

"I don't think so."

"Guess we'll have to figure it out as we go along, huh?"

"Don't think there's much else we can do. I'm just glad I can finally talk to you. It was getting pretty confusing there for a while, huh?" Her grin brightens up his face, the anxiety starting to melt away knowing that he wouldn't be alone, now that he and Beth could actually communicate.

"Yeah, thought I was losin' it."

"You seem pretty sane to me."

"Just wait, girl. Before ya know it, I'll have ya pullin' that pretty blonde hair right outta yer head."

When she laughs, he can feel it, bellowing in his chest, erupting like a volcano. Hot magma dripping down his chest, filling him up with fire.

"I'm glad it's you. I know it's weird but it feels comfortable." She shrugs, looking sure of herself for the first time since he saw her back on the horse that first time. Confident and ready for anything.

"Guess I know what ya mean." Daryl gives her a sheepish grin, unsure how else to respond to her. She may have known him in her mind for years but having only spoken to him a few times, how can she be so kind, so accepting?

"Just feel it, Daryl. I don't think it's going away any time soon." Beth holds her hands to her chest again, closing her eyes. Their hearts beat as one, strong and steady. It's so loud it's echoing through their heads, synchronized by their breathing.

When he goes to lift his hand to his chest, he sees her small, delicate palm appear under his, over his heart. Closing his eyes, he feels it too every drop of her filling him up.


	5. Chapter 5

Fastening Judith into her stroller, Beth sets out for the park. It was a warm morning and was sure to be an even hotter day. If she wanted to get any energy out of the little one she'd have to do it early on. Sometimes the heat would make Judy fussy and if Beth could help it, she'd rather get her down for a nap during the warmest hours of the day to save them both the frustration. Lori was a complete tyrant when it came to air conditioning so that wasn't an option. During the hottest summer months, Beth would opt for walking around the mall and window shopping while the baby slept soundly in the stroller.

She wondered how Daryl's day was going so far, as he had yet to find her that morning. Beth didn't want to be intrusive on his thoughts, she could sense that he was a private man and not overstepping those boundaries was important to her. It had only been a couple of days since they had first realized they could communicate and the anxiety between them was starting to dissipate as their bond grew stronger and they became more comfortable with one another. Something about his demeanor had changed. He wasn't hesitating quite as much, holding back what he wanted to say.

That was the thing, it wasn't as if you could feel that the other person was lying but if information was being withheld, it was like a pulling in the back of her mind. A string, pulling tight at the corner of her thoughts, puckering at the seam where she and Daryl's worlds collided. Not having done the same to him, she knew Daryl wouldn't know. Wouldn't know that she was aware of those feelings. But maybe he was.

Pushing Judith around the park, she admires the scenery, the morning sky dusted with fluffy clouds. Beth loved her home in Savannah, there was no where else in the world she'd rather lived. Not having been to many other places, she knew that may have been a bias generalization but she couldn't help it. She loved going down to the beach with Maggie and Shawn when they were younger. Annette making sure they were covered head to toe in sunscreen, they'd race down to the water, jumping and splashing through the waves. She couldn't wait until Judith was old enough to do all that. Make sand castles, catch sand crabs.

Would Daryl be there to experience those things with her? Would he want to?

"I ain't never been to the beach, if that's what yer wonderin'." He chimes in out of nowhere, already having been there without her knowing.

"No? Never?" Smiling to herself, she takes Judith from the stroller, putting her in a baby swing to push.

"Nah, too far. Livin' in the dead center of Georgia don't help much."

"It's beautiful. I'd go to the beach every day if I could."

"Don't like the sound of all that. Too many people."

She shrugs, imagining some evenings when it was a little cooler, towards the end of summer and the sun was going down, it was like they'd had the whole beach to themselves and no one else existed. Maybe Daryl would like that.

"That's why I like huntin'. Ain't nobody around."

"I've never been. Daddy and Otis used to go sometimes and they'd take Shawn but nothing like I've seen you do over the years."

"Ain't fer fun, girl. Just livin'."

"I know."

They both go quiet for moment, thinking about Daryl's past and his childhood. All of those days he had to learn to stand on two feet to keep himself going because there wasn't anyone else.

But now there was.

"Don't go feelin' bad about it. None of that shit matters anymore. It was a long time ago."

"I just wish I could have done something, could have helped you."

"Couldn't have done nothin' about it. Nobody could have."

"I wish I had known how to talk to you then, at least."

"Don't matter."

Judith begins giggling as Beth pushes her a little higher. Her little face lit up with joy, eyes shut tight and she screams with laughter.

"Yer good with her. Parents must be real happy they got somebody like you lookin' after her."

"My Daddy has known their family a long time. When Lori had the baby and wanted to go back to work, he'd already volunteered me before even asking."

"Ya don't mind? Wouldn't rather be goin' to school? Workin' someplace else?"

"No, I don't mind. I'm real lucky she's such a sweet baby, you know? Her brother is a real hellion most of the time."

"Ya ever want one of yer own?"

When he asks that, she can feel him pushing. She knows that Daryl isn't one to ask questions so she's quick to answer.

"Sure. I always wanted a baby of my own. Problem is, can't have a baby on your own." She shrugs, pushing Judith a little higher, her tiny feet kicking a mile a minute.

"Ya got plenty of time. Yer just a baby still yourself."

"My parents have been harassing my sister and her husband to have one for a while now but I don't think she's interested any time soon." Stopping to get Judith out of the swing, she continues on, "Plus, got my hands full with her and her brother. If Maggie had a baby I'd probably end up playing nanny to them too."

"Damn, she got a brother too? Hope they're payin' ya decent."

She can feel his grin on her lips just as much as she can see it under the hood of the car he was working on.

"Yeah, he's almost twelve. Doesn't exactly want a babysitter around." Beth shrugs. "Mostly wants me around to drive him places."

"Chauffeur and a nanny? Damn, girl. Yer a full service deal."

"What can I say? It's a full time job but somebody's gotta do it, right?"

"Now ya sound like a momma. She's good practice. When the time comes some day you'll be all set."

"Like I said, can't have a baby on your own, can ya?"

Daryl feels something there in the pit of his stomach, something hot, sliding through his stomach. Was little Beth Greene, little Alice, actually flirting with him?

"Nah, guess ya can't." He mumbled back at her, trying to hide the grin curling on his lips.

Heading home that night, Daryl couldn't get Beth's pretty blue eyes out of his head. Or that shy smile she'd flashed at him, pearly white teeth behind rosebud lips. There was no way she was any older than twenty-one. Definitely much younger than Daryl would ever go for, not that he had pursued many women in his life. Merle had always teased him for being shit with girls when he was young. Shy and fumbling, too awkward to ever know what to say.

He knew she'd never reciprocate this crush he felt growing inside him, knowing he must feel enamored with her because she was so sweet and kind, so willing to accept and forgive him of his faults. Daryl had never known anyone like that in his life. Something about having her there gave him the strength to see a small glimpse of those things inside himself. The tiny part of him that felt like he could be a good person became possible knowing that Beth was there to back him up. Romantic intentions or not, he was happy for that. She was by far too young for him, too beautiful and pure. Daryl knew good and well her daddy would never let a man like him come within a mile of his daughter. Especially not as one as beautiful and pure as Beth Greene.

Something about her made him feel as ease, her soft, sweet demeanor oozing into his brain like honey, dripping into every fold and wrinkle with her sweetness. Beth Greene was a lot like honey, when he really thought about it. Everything about her stuck to him from that first telepathic encounter. He wasn't really even sure that was the right word to use for what they'd been experiencing. Communicating. The link between them felt strong, even when lost in his own thoughts, he knew Beth was there. It was almost as if she was in another room. Still there, still conscious of his existence, but somewhere else. Making a point to ask her what it was she thought, Daryl closed his eyes, trying to see if he could hone in on her, see where she was.

Sitting in his truck out in front of his apartment, Daryl tries to steady his breathing, tries to imagine Beth and before he can get a grip on the scene around him, he's sucked in.

In what he presumes to be the baby's room, he sees Beth cradling her in her arms, singing softly. Her voice was one he'd known heard in his head all along. Like the voice of a distant relative or someone you haven't seen in a long time but you hear them first and can't quite place it. Familiar and comforting, velvety and smooth, Daryl feels himself wrapped up in the warmth of her song.

His mother had never been one for singing nursery rhymes. Always said her voice would keep them both awake if she even bothered. Sometimes if Daryl was sick or had a bad beating from his Daddy, she'd hum a few bars of her favorite church hymns and smooth his hair back until he fell asleep but Beth's voice was like that of an angel. Every word sung with careful pronunciation, the twang of her voice hitting every note perfectly, bringing a grin to his lips.

Getting out of the truck and heading up to his apartment, he watches her settle into a rocking chair beside the crib, Judith's eyes now heavy with slumber. Her chubby little fingers grasped tightly around fistfuls of Beth's silky, golden hair. Rosy cheeks stained with tears, fighting her nanny for sleep, her little chin slippery with drool.

Plopping down on his bed, he burrows into the blankets, the stress of the day melting away with Beth's continued song. He suddenly felt sleep creeping up on him as well, taking him for a sweet slumber, something he hadn't welcomed in a number of years naturally, opting for alcohol to do the job.

Clutching the baby tightly to her chest, Beth leans down to plant a soft kiss on her cheek, the infant lost in sleep. His eyes drooping shut for what feels like only a moment, sleep envelops him. Almost as if he feels someone there in the small bed next to him, her presence is now evident, as tangible as it is real.

"Get some sleep, Daryl. You look tired." She barely whispers, urging him to close his eyes and continue.

"Mmhmm," he mumbles back, wondering how long she'd been aware of his residence in her mind at the time of the lullaby.

"If you wanted a song, I would have sang you a different one, ya know. Not some 'Mary-had-a-little-lamb' baby stuff," she teased, her words tickling his insides, sending a group of butterflies emerging from his stomach, up through his through, letting out a dry chuckle.

"Nah, I liked it."

"Good. Now go to sleep."

Her words like a spell, he obeys, wrapping himself in his blanket further, everything about her enveloping him like a warm cocoon, sleep comes to him quickly. Daryl has never felt this safe, his whole in his life knowing that Beth is there to sing him to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

That morning when Beth arrived at the Grimes house, she was surprised to still see Rick there. He was going through some boxes in the garage, his sheriff's uniform half on, rumple collar sticking up in the back.

"Mornin' Beth." He nods in her direction, looking up from one of the boxes.

"Shouldn't you be at work already?"

"Switched around some things. Got a new deputy in training, Tara. She's been going out with Shane and I the past few nights and it's taking some getting used to. Girl's got quite the mouth on her."

"Oh, okay." She shrugs, picking up a stack of Judith's sleepers and onesies from the folded table of laundry to bring inside.

"Looking for some old things of Carl's in here. I know he's got one of those bouncy things."

Beth's eyes lit up. Those little bouncy things Rick described had saved her once or twice from losing her sanity when she had been stuck babysitting her old piano teacher's baby. During a horrible fit of teething it was the only thing that soothed him. Judith was sure to love it.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I just gotta find the damn thing first. If I don't find it, take a look in the storage containers under mine and Lori's bed."

Nodding her head, she makes her way inside to find Lori finishing up Carl's lunch as the baby coos happily in her highchair, munching away on cheerios.

"He still out there looking for that? I told him it's under the bed. In one here and out the other." She licks some peanut butter off her thumb, throwing the sandwich in a brown paper bag.

"Yeah. Rick told me to go look upstairs."

"Don't worry about it. The last thing she needs to do after eating is bounce around a bunch."

Taking a banana out of the bowl on the kitchen table, Beth slices it for the baby, putting it on the tray in front of her.

"CARL!" Lori calls down the hallway for her oldest child. "Hurry up, your Dad is dropping you off!"

Putting on her earrings and locating her purse, Lori slips on her shoes. Standing there for a few moments finishing the last of her makeup, she becomes annoyed waiting for her son. Walking down the hallway in a huff, she knocks on the door twice before opening it quickly.

"C'mon, hurry up! You should have finished your homework last night! This is why you shouldn't have a TV in your room!"

He protests and rolls his eyes, already in the process of becoming a teenager and not even in middle school. Beth laughs to herself softly, remembering those days herself. Watching Shawn and Maggie go through it had been so different than experiencing it herself. Sometimes she had to give Carl the benefit of the doubt, but most of the time he was a real brat.

"I did finish my homework last night. I was double checking."

"Uh huh, double checking my ass. When you finish tonight let Beth look over it first. If you get another crappy report card, it's right back to tutoring, you hear me?"

He sighs in response, slinging his backpack over his slumped shoulders, feet shuffling out the door slowly.

Beth pours herself a cup of coffee, sitting down next to Judith at her highchair.

"How you feeling today, baby girl? How are those teeth coming in, huh?"

Ruffling the baby's hair, she smiles to herself. Sighing deeply, she huddles around the cup, savoring it's warmth. Even though it was closer to Summer than ever, Beth found herself always cold in the mornings. Maggie would always tease her for it, calling Beth a little old lady for never forgetting her cardigan.

"It's 68 degrees out today, ya whimp." She hears Daryl's gravely voice in her ear, gritty like the coffee grinds hiding at the bottom of the mug.

"I've got poor circulation."

"More like yer too damn skinny."

"Hey!" she says back in protest, laughing. "I've always been on the thin side. Can't gain a pound if I tried."

"Most women wouldn't complain about that."

"I ain't complainin' but I'm not sayin' I like it either. Especially when people think you're twelve but you're actually twenty."

Beth felt something strange within Daryl. Was it relief maybe? It washed over her and left her feeling puzzled.

"Ya don't look twelve, that's fer damn sure." He mumbled awkwardly, fumbling with a pack of cigarettes in his hands.

"I hope you haven't been smokin' those Daryl. If it's bad for you, it's most definitely bad for me."

"Ain't no way of proving that, is there?"

"Mmm, I wouldn't call myself a telepathic expert or anything but if I can taste them, it's probably just like me smoking them too."

"You think that's what this is? Telepathy?" He shrugs, opening the carton and pulling one slender cigarette out with his big, bulky fingers.

"Guess so. Isn't that what it is in the movies? Reading somebody else's mind?"

"Yeah, but in the movies people with telepathy can read other people's minds, not just one other person's."

She lets out a deep breath, wiping some of the banana from Judith's face with a warm washcloth.

"What about the movie, Carrie? She can't read other people's minds, she just controls things with it."

"Uh, Beth?"

Whipping her head around quickly, she sees Carl standing there awkwardly with the baby jumper in hand.

"Oh! He found it!" She wipes her hands on the back of her jeans, her cheeks hot with embarrassment.

"Uh, yeah. Were you talking to Judith about watching Carrie? Don't you think she's a little young for that movie?"

Furrowing her brows in anger and frustration, she snatches the sling out of his hand.

"Haven't you heard you're not supposed to talk to babies like their babies? You talk to them like to would any other conversation you'd have with an adult. And no, I wouldn't ever expose her to violence. Maybe you'd know that if you ever came out of your room." She narrows her eyes at him, turning on her heel to attach the jumper to the door frame.

"Whatever. You're weird." Carl says, rolling his eyes and leaving through the garage door without a second thought.

"Nice goin' on that one." Daryl chuckles, lighting the cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"Hey! I told you, no more!"

"After this pack. I ain't throwin' these away. Don't got the money to be flushin' down the drain like that, girl."

"Yeah, well, maybe use some of that money on gum or patches instead, ya hear me?"

"Ya think ya won't feel those? You'll be buzzin' around all other the place. I'd rather go cold turkey." He exhales deeply, smoke escaping his mouth. "Sides, Carrie had telekinesis, that's different."

"So with telekinesis you can move things but telepathy you can read minds?"

Daryl shrugs his shoulders. "I only ever saw the movie a couple times on TV. Fuck if I know."

"I think Shawn has the book. He's read a lot of Stephen King. I'll look when I get home."

"Ya sure that's the best source of information to go off of? Some wacked out science fiction writer?"

"Better than going to a doctor, isn't it?"

Beth had a point there. This wasn't something that they'd come to easily, chances were it wouldn't be an easy thing to figure out how to control outside of each other.

"Should we try to move something?"

Daryl shakes his head. "Nah, tonight. I gotta get to work. Find that book and let me know what it says later."

"Okay."

Getting Judith out of her highchair and into a bath, she wonders how they'll go about discovering this all together.


	7. Chapter 7

Knocking on Shawn's door, Beth lets herself in without his answering. Most of their lives knocking was just a formality to let the person know you were coming inside, not necessarily to alert the person they should open the door.

He was sitting at his laptop, writing a paper for school as usual, music blaring through the speakers. Swirling around in his chair he turns down the music a little.

"What's up?"

"I need something to read. Any recommendations?"

He lets out a deep sigh, cracking his knuckles. "I haven't read a book that wasn't for school in a while. Everything on my bookshelf is worthwhile though."

Shawn had always been pretty well read. While most kids hated to read and their parents had to bribe them to get to the next reading level, Hershel would have to beg Shawn to pace himself, reading so quickly he'd spend all his extra money on graphic novels and thrillers.

Scanning through the shelves, she searches for Stephen King, looking for Carrie to pop out at her.

"Got your mind on something in particular?"

"No, I guess I'm just bored. Looking for something to occupy my mind while the baby sleeps."

"Glad to see you finally grew out of your young adult trash teen novel phase. I never thought it would end."

"Shut up." Beth giggles, remembering Shawn teasing her mercilessly for her love of books that revolved around boys and trivial problems when now she had a man twice her age practically living in her head. How times had changed.

"You'd probably want a smooth transition. Nothing too brash for a young mind like yours. Maybe some Anne Rice? Perhaps Chuck Palahniuk?"

She takes a random book off the shelf, throwing it in his direction.

"A Clockwork Orange? That's way too much for you. You, little sister are not one for ultra violence. I can promise you that much."

"I've seen the movie, Shawn. I'm twenty, not twelve."

"Maybe you're better off reading a classic. Sylvia Plath? JD Salinger?"

Plopping down on his bed she slips off her shoes. "What about Stephen King?"

"Oh yeah, those are in the closet." He turns the music back up and starts typing again. "How about Misery? Or Firestarter?"

"What about Carrie?" Beth gets up off the bed and opens the closet door, looking up at the top shelf of his closet for the book. There it sits, beckoning her.

"Can you be anymore cliche, Beth?" He scoffs at her. "Christine is way better, but suit yourself."

Leaning against the doorframe, she skims the first few pages. "What's the difference telekinesis and telepathy?"

He turns back around in his chair to face her. "Telekinesis is projecting of psychokinetic energy to move, lift and manipulate objects. Telepathy is the psychic transfer between two or more minds allowing you read, communicate with, attack, control, manipulate and influence minds. Not just mind reading."

"Oh." Closing the book, she meets his gaze in confusion. "So, Carrie was telekinetic?"

"Yeah. She couldn't read people's minds, just move things and use her crazy, freaky powers to kill all the preppy kids."

"Okay. Well, I'm borrowing it."

He shrugs, going back to his paper. Beth closes the door behind her, feeling a little more at ease with the information at hand. What small amount she knew already was better than knowing nothing at that point.

Getting ready for bed, Beth slips on an old t-shirt and pajama shorts and climbs into bed with the book and her phone. She'd googled telepathy on the internet and found out a few other things to tell Daryl.

Sitting up straight and tilting her head back, she closes her eyes and breathes deeply. Her chest expelling all the air from her lungs, filling her up anew with every gasp of oxygen. Honing in on those deep blue eyes, Beth smiles, the muscles in her face twitching in anticipation, her heart beat increasing.

She sees him on a worn leather couch, laying sideways with a bowl of spaghettios in hand, sauce dripping down his chin, a cigarette in the other.

"Ay, girl." He sits up suddenly, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Just another fine dining experience at casa Dixon. Sorry ya can't be here to enjoy it with me."

"Cigarettes and spaghettios, that's a winning combination."

He sets it down on the ashtray, taking another spoonful of food to his mouth. "Sorry."

"I'm not asking you to quit for me, Daryl. It's not good for you either."

"Quit naggin' me. I'll quit when I quit." He takes a quick drag and puts it out. "What's up?"

"Well, according to my brother, Carrie was telekinetic _not_ telepathic."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"He said with telepathy you can communicate with, attack, control, manipulate and influence minds. Not just mind reading."

"Oh."

Oh was right. The idea of using this gift, this power, to hurt each other or someone else left a sour taste in her mouth. Not that she knew how to use it, but if she did, there was no way it would be for anything other than good.

"We ain't gonna be attackin' each other with our heads anytime soon, are we?" He sets down the bowl, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Not as long as you stay on my good side, I won't," Beth smirks at him, laying down on her side, pulling the blankets up.

"Same goes fer you, I guess. Not that I know how to use 'em. Guess I could figure it out if you pissed me off good enough."

"Nah, just chain smoke a pack of cigarettes and I won't talk to you for a week."

"I'll keep that one in mind," he grumbles, putting out the butt and lying down on the couch.

"Let's try something, okay?"

"Like what?"

"I'm going to think of something. A memory, or something random. Maybe you'll see it or hear me or something."

Closing her eyes tightly, Beth thinks back to the first snow she got her very own sled. Every winter prior to that, Hershel had insisted she'd ride with Shawn or Maggie, on the back of one of their sleds, keeping her safer than if she were on one of her own. She'd begged and pleaded all fall for her very own sled, Hershel turning her down every time. Telling her she was far too small and was sure to go flying forward, breaking every bone in her little body. Eventually she'd worn him down and he'd gotten one just like Shawn had only in bright red. Beth had promised she'd stay close to the farmhouse, within eye of the kitchen window where her mother could keep an eye on her.

Never had she felt more independent in that moment, aside from the times she'd snuck out to ride Nellie alone, even having her mother's careful gaze closeby. This was something that belonged to her and her alone and she took pride in that. Pulling the itchy wool hat down over her ears, she steadied herself on the sled, gripping tightly to the sides with mittened hands. It was scary and exciting every time, like a rollercoaster or a shot at the doctor's office. Scary and overwhelming, but over with before she knew it.

"Snow?" he asks, his voice breaking the memory in pieces, bringing his face back into clear view.

"Yeah. Sledding, when I was a little kid."

"Yeah, I seen that one before. Bits and pieces of it. Never that clear before."

"Wow. So we can do that, I guess. You try something."

Daryl closed his eyes, his face lost in concentration. Whatever he was thinking about, it didn't give her a clear view, like he had said before. It was a very fuzzy, vague feeling. Slowly, into view came a lake, Daryl as a young man, the man she'd seen with blood running down his back, his mother trying desperately to comfort him while Merle took the brunt of the entire beating.

He was skipping rocks, throwing one right after the next with perfect aim and precision. The skin on his arms and shoulders tanned a dark brown, his neck and face kissed with a few freckles. Sweat and dirt trickled down his face, the Georgia heat leaving him warmer with every throw. She admired every contour of his face, the way he would bite his lip occasionally, narrow his eyes and take a deep breath, just before letting go of a rock.

This feeling, she knew, was contentment. This was Daryl's happy place. Not unlike the secret garden of her childhood. This was the place that Daryl must have come when things got to be too much for him. The only place he could go to escape the wrath of his father's belt and the aftermath of his mother's tears. No one telling him to shut the fuck up all the time, keep his head down. He'd learned that early on. The cigarette burns on his arms were proof of that.

This was his place. The only place he was free to breathe for once, release it all and just be.

"That was nice," she breathed out deeply, whispering to him, "I liked that."

He nods his head, his eyes dark. She can't quite tell what he's feeling in that moment, the pulling in the back of her head, that tight sensation making her feel uneasy. The withdraw of information was peculiar, it always left Beth feeling uneasy.

"That somewhere you used to go when you were a kid?"

"Yeah, guess so. One of the only places I could get away from my piece of shit family, you know?"

"Yeah," she gulps, wondering how it is someone who's been through so much can still feel so normal, so sweet and genuine.

Beth knows it can't be easy for him to share these things with her, but because she's already seen them, they've already become so ingrained, so etched into her memory, that they are almost her own now. There is no reason for Daryl to hide anything from her now.

"Should we try talkin' without sayin' anything? See if we can hear each other or somethin'?" he asks, biting his thumbnail.

"That's a good idea. Um, here. I'll go first."

She closes her eyes tightly, waiting a moment, knowing he's right there with her, waiting.

 _Daryl, I wonder if you can hear me now, if you can say something. Anything._

Beth waits a second and thinks it again, concentrating a little harder. Opening one eye, she sees his face, eyes still closed, face blank.

"Nothing?"

"Nope."

"Well, I guess that doesn't work."

He shrugs his shoulders, reaching for his pack of cigarettes.

"I'll tell you what doesn't work-"

"Beth," he cuts her off, "I tell ya what, after this pack, alright?"

"Okay, okay," Beth laughs, putting her hands up in defense, "I know I sound like a broken record but the second I gotta explain to my family why I smell like Marlboros, we're gonna be in some serious trouble."

Daryl's eyes widen as he lights it, exhaling smoke, "Yer smellin' like it now, too?"

"I can taste 'em and smell 'em, Daryl. I told you. I've been washing my hair like crazy trying to get rid of it."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "Only got six left in this pack. Once they're gone, I promise I'll quit, alright? Can't have ya gettin' lung cancer this young, huh?"

"Considering I've never smoked one in my entire life, yes. That would be tragic."

"Don't worry, girl. I try to keep my word for the most part."

"Oh yeah?" she smirks, "I'll keep that in mind down the road."

"Sure," he takes another drag, "always take care of my own."

His own? What exactly did he mean by that? Now that they had bonded, had learned how to communicate, he cared about her? Something about that fact brought a smile to her lips and a blush to her face.

She knew Daryl was a good man, from that first moment he'd spoken, from the visions in her head even as a child, she knew he had to be someone important, someone who had been there for a reason. Now it had seemed to her that he was becoming the most important part of her life. Seeing into her every thought and feeling, memory and regret.

"So, guess we'll have to keep talkin' to each other like a couple of loons then, huh?" he mumbles, rolling over on his side.

"For the time being, yes. I was kind of hoping that would have worked," she laughs softly, thinking about Carl catching them.

"Hey, there's worse things a person can do than talk to themselves. Plus, we ain't talkin' to nobody, we're talkin' to each other."

That was true. She liked the idea of never being alone. Always having Daryl there whenever she needed him, although only in mind, it left her with a sense of peace and security.

"I'm not givin' up yet," she said, turning off the light beside her bed and curling up against her pillow. "I bet our bond will get stronger and before ya know it, we'll be able to communicate without moving our lips."

She yawns, feeling herself becoming sleepier, Daryl's breath synchronizing with hers, a sense of warmth filling her entire body.

"Well yer confidant, ain't ya?" he chuckles, getting up from the couch and crawling into his own bed, for the first time really wishing she was there beside her.

How strange it was to want to be so close to someone, within your line of vision, their voice in your head, their heart in your chest, but you cannot touch them. Daryl frowned at that, knowing it was a silly, selfish notion to reach for Beth, knowing she was probably far too sweet, too good for a man like him.

"I am," she yawns again, stretching her skinny arms high above her head, "it's getting stronger, Daryl. I can feel it."

Even in the dark, he could swear she must have seen the flush on his face, or felt that heat radiating from his stomach, up through his chest, burning him inside out. This wasn't something he was familiar with, this sense of warmth and comfort. This need to be close to her. As much as it confused him and frankly scared the shit out of him, he couldn't help but enjoy it. Relish in it even.

"Ya think?"

"I do. I don't know why this happened, but I have a feeling it's for a real good reason."

He nods his head, unsure what to say. There was no explanation for why this was happening, from the get go, he couldn't explain it, but knew it felt right. For him, that was reason enough.

"Goodnight, Beth."

"Goodnight, Daryl."

As he drifts out of consciousness and into sleep, he swears he can feel her tiny frame curl into him as if she had always been there, her hand in his.


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl was anxious to get back to work the following Monday, eager to get his mind off of Merle's evident arrival in only one week's time. He had really hoped that Merle's last sentence would buy him a couple more years, but damn, he wasn't surprised for a second that his sweet talking older brother made his way onto parole. It didn't matter at that point, he'd told himself he wasn't going to get sucked back into that life, into Merle's web of bullshit and destruction.

He wasn't that person anymore. That lost little puppy dog, looking for anyone to lead his leash, tell him what to do and where to go. That wasn't Daryl. He knew that now. Especially because Beth was there with him. There was no way in hell he'd expose her to anything Merle probably already had up his sleeve. She was his reason not to get back into that bullshit now. It wasn't just for him anymore.

Most people would look at Daryl and think that he hadn't done much for himself, but in the time that Merle had been away, he really had pulled himself together. His measly apartment, beater of a pickup truck and motorcycle were all he had, but he couldn't be more proud of himself for that. He'd learned to get his shit together, fend for himself the right way. Not cut corners and rip people off like Merle had always shown him.

Maybe this was really his chance to put all that shit in the past once and for all. Maybe Beth could be his fresh start.

He chuckled to himself, rolling the second to last cigarette between his grease stained fingers. Here he was getting all worked up about a woman he'd never even met in person. Someone that he was pretty sure had lost his mind just as much as he had, if all of this was real. That was the thing, every night he'd go to sleep, feeling her right there with him, tangible and warm, he swore he could feel her stir in her sleep. And every morning he'd wake up reaching for her, hoping he'd get to see her face again, always surprised and taken aback when her presence made itself known again.

Daryl knew Beth was the kind of person that took getting used to. Partly because she was so different than he was. So kind and compassionate, curious and mischievous, never hesitating to put him in his place or ask him what was on his mind. A lot of the time she knew, feeling it too, but a part of him liked that she asked, liked that she even wanted to know.

In that short time, she'd become a comfort to him. Giving him detailed descriptions of her days, the goings on and the Grimes house. What Judith was up to, or what rude thing Carl had said to her. He couldn't believe someone as young and beautiful as her was wasting her time living at home under her father's lock and key, working as a babysitter. He hadn't asked her about a whole lot, not wanting to push any boundaries with her, but it was something he'd wondered about.

Most girls Beth's age would be off at college, in some sorority or something. Dating frat boys and trying to balance school, living life away from her parents for the first time.

Or at least that's what he'd thought most girls her age would want. It hadn't really occurred to him that maybe she was never given the chance to make a future for herself; maybe they'd already had one chosen for her. He seriously doubted a telepathic redneck fit into the plan her father had chosen for his youngest daughter.

From the small snippets, the fragments of memories Daryl has seen of her father, he doesn't look like a bad man. Nothing compared to the piece of shit he used to call dad. He had a watchful eye over her, but only because he loved her. That was something Daryl had never experienced before, never knew the protective, watchful eye of a parent. Although it was something he could understand, Beth being who she was. It didn't surprise him he wanted to keep her close.

Hearing the roar of a motorcycle coming down the road, Daryl turns to see Len and Joe, two of Merle's old crownies pulling up to the auto shop. Immediately, his stomach dropped. Those two had never been good news in the past, but together they were a force to be reckoned with.

Eyeing them both up and down, he stands from the bench to watch them park, nervously lighting the cigarette to help ease his nerves.

"Well, if it ain't baby Dixon!" Joe crooned, taking off his helmet. "Haven't seen you since Merle got locked up!"

"I heard of layin' low but you're practically underground!" Len added.

"Been busy," Daryl grumbled, already knowing this situation couldn't end well. They knew Merle was out soon and they were looking to get the low down.

"Too busy to keep up with your oldest brother's nearest and dearest friends? You're breakin' my heart, Daryl!"

Before he could answer, Daryl could feel Beth pushing in. He didn't want her there for this conversation but he didn't know enough to push her out. She was too strong, too adamant.

"Daryl? Are you okay?" she asked, as if she was standing right beside him.

Nodding his head, he knows he can't answer her, not with them there.

He can see Beth out of his peripheral vision, bouncing Judith on her hip, a concerned look on her face. She's pacing now, watching everything go down. He knows his anxiety, his fears are running through her. Mirroring each other's fears, each other's worries. Daryl already hates himself for bringing her into this.

"Who are they?" Beth whispers, her heart rate increasing with every threatening glance.

"Merle's gonna be gettin' out here pretty soon, I hear?" Len stated, watching Daryl shift his weight in his boots, eyeing his every move.

"Yeah, next week."

"Gonna be stayin' with you? You takin' care of 'em?" Joe asked eagerly, licking his lips.

"Guess so, he's my brother, ain't he?"

"Wasn't so sure you were gonna let him for a second there. Few months ago when we went to visit him at county, said you weren't answerin' his calls. Why's that, Daryl?"

Daryl shrugs, flicking his cigarette. "Needed some time I guess. Been gone a long time."

"Merle's done a lot fer ya, kid. Don't go forgettin' that any time soon."

"I ain't. Said he's comin' to stay with me, didn't I?" Daryl growled, his brows furrowed.

"Just makin' sure ya ain't goin' back on yer word is all. Lookin' out fer old Merle, ya know?"

"I guess."

"Been gone a long time, sure," Joe laughed, extending his hand to pull Daryl's pack of cigarettes out of his front pocket. Daryl doesn't move, watching him carefully, trying not to breathe. After the last fight with Martinez, there's not a chance in hell he'd put Beth in harm's way.

He takes one out, handing it to Len, taking another for himself. "But time is all relative, ain't it?"

"Guess so."

They stand there for a moment in silence, watching each other, Daryl attempting to keep his composure.

"Hey, everything alright here?" Aaron, Daryl's coworker asks, approaching the men.

"Yeah, yeah," Len smiles, "Just payin' a visit to our friend Daryl, here.

"Okay," Aaron says, nodding his head and looking to Daryl for clarification.

"Everything's fine," Daryl grumbles, walking back into the shop, pack of cigarettes abandoned, no desire to smoke another if his life depended on it.

"We'll be seein' ya, Daryl," Len called, getting back on his bike.

As the growl of their engine dissipated into the distance, Daryl could feel himself shaking with anger, resentment and rage.

"Who the hell were they?" Aaron asks, almost looking as concerned as Beth.

Daryl had only been working with Aaron for a few months at that point, and always found him to be too talkative, too friendly, but today he had never been more thankful those qualities stopped him from doing something potentially dangerous.

"Fuckin' dead beats," Daryl exhales loudly, running his hands through his hair, "Merle's old friends. Lookin' fer trouble no doubt."

"You worried?"

"Can't say I'm not, just don't know what's gonna happen when he gets out," he shrugs, knowing that was the god honest truth.

"You don't have to let him live there."

"Considering they threatened me if I don't, that ain't an option."

"Well, I'm here, if you wanna talk. Go take your lunch break, alright? Try to relax," Aaron said, trying to encourage Daryl.

Nodding his head and walking over to his pickup, Daryl slumps inside, slamming the heavy door behind him.

"I didn't want ya to be there fer that, Beth," he said, shaking his head.

"Who were they?" she asked again, no baby in sight, just her blue eyes, as big as saucers. Her face ridden with concern.

"Merle's old buddies. They used to do business together."

"Are they gonna hurt you?"

"I don't know," Daryl admitted, leaning forward on the steering wheel. "but I'm gonna do whatever I can to make sure they don't."

"Please be careful," she whispered, swallowing a lump in her throat.

Daryl wasn't concerned for himself at that point. Before this, before Beth, he wouldn't have cared what happened to him. It didn't matter before all this, but he couldn't bare to think of her taking the brunt of a beating.

"Don't worry, baby doll. Everything is gonna be fine, alright?"

"Maybe you need to go to the police, Daryl. Those men threatened you. Who knows what they're capable of."

"I'll tell ya right now, that would only get me in deeper shit. Gonna keep my nose down, try to keep Merle out of trouble. He gets his ass sent back, that's on him."

"You're not saying, if he breaks parole, they're gonna blame you?"

"Nah, they just wanna make sure I'm not goin' back on my word, lettin' him live at my place. That's the address he's gotta stay at. Holdin' up my end of the deal."

"You think they've got something planned?"

"Probably."

"I wish there was somethin' I could do."

"Ya already done plenty, girl. Just gotta make sure I keep us safe, alright?" Daryl tells her, trying to instill any bit of security he'd felt the night before when they'd fallen asleep together, wanting to make her feel what he had felt again. His arms wrapped around her, enveloped in warmth.

"I know, Daryl. I trust you."

That was all he needed to know. Merle coming in and out of his life was always a disaster of epic proportions but as long as he knew Beth trusted him enough to keep them safe, he knew he'd do anything to keep that promise.


	9. Chapter 9

Beth felt absolutely helpless. She hated that there was nothing she could do to help Daryl. Nothing she could say to make him feel safe and protected. Knowing about his past, his childhood, it broke her heart that he was forced to go through more hardships, more struggles just to live and now Merle was coming back to ruin things for him all over again.

She racked her brain, thinking of any way she could help him. Maybe Rick? Sure, he was a sheriff, maybe something could be done, but how would she even begin to explain this to him? Not to mention her daddy, chances are Rick would tell him his youngest daughter was in contact with an older man who was in cahoots with possible criminals. And there was no way that would end well.

How would she explain how they met? Considering Daryl lived three hours away, it wouldn't be any easy story to fabricate, if they ever met at all. Would they meet? It was something she'd been rolling around in her mind the past couple of days, especially at night when she'd find herself reaching for him, singing to him softly, trying to ease his clouded mind. It was really almost like he was there with her already, that's what was so strange about it.

Did Daryl feel this way too? Beth knew he must have because at this point she felt it radiating through her body. There was nothing more she wanted than to talk to him, share with him, get to know every part of him. Things had already changed, she knew that. Once Merle arrived, things were bound to become even more different.

"Yer thinkin' too much," he chimed in, no longer looking worried or concerned.

"I can't help it," Beth huffed.

"Ain't got nothing to worry 'bout, Beth. We'll figure it out," he tells her.

"I wish you'd let me do something," she sighed, sitting in the rocking chair beside Judith's crib.

Friday night was Lori and Rick's date night permitting he didn't have to work through the night. She didn't mind the extra time with Judith and they always tipped her extra for it, so that was a plus.

"Ain't nothin' you can do but promise me ya won't worry," Daryl says.

"I'll try, alright?" Beth exhaled deeply, trying to relax and expel the thoughts from her mind.

"Good. What you up to tonight, girl? Sleepover with the munchkin?" he smirked, popping the cap off of a beer with a lighter.

"Nah, just staying later while her momma and daddy go out to dinner," Beth says.

"Hope they're payin' ya extra fer that," he said, taking a gulp of beer.

"You worried I'm not making enough money, huh?" Beth smirked at him.

"Just don't want nobody takin' advantage of ya. Yer a kid, shouldn't be stuck watchin' a baby all day. She got parents, don't she?" Daryl scoffs.

"It's not like that, Daryl. I don't mind it at all. I like being a nanny, it was better than helping at my daddy's veterinary office. Judy is a real sweet baby, anyways."

"You don't wanna go to school or somethin', travel?" Daryl mused, feeling the beer already making him looser, the questions flowing more freely.

"I thought about going away to school but my parents wouldn't let me. For a while they said it was because of the money, but after a while I think they wanted to keep me close," Beth sighs, remembering what a battle it had been trying to get her parents to let her apply to schools out of state. Of course he'd said no.

She shrugs, looking a little sad suddenly, glancing over at the sleeping infant.

"M' sorry, girl. I wasn't tryin' to upset ya or nothing," Daryl mumbles.

"It's okay, Daryl. You didn't," Beth says softly.

They're both quiet for a moment, Daryl drinking his beer, Beth rocking back and forth. Neither of them really thinking, just enjoying each other's company in the silence.

"Sometimes, I think my Daddy doesn't know any better than to smother me like this. Everybody always said they coddled me my whole life, but they never really gave me a choice, you know?"

"That ain't fair," Daryl says bluntly, "yer too fuckin' young to have somebody holdin' ya down like that. Should be able to do whatever the fuck ya want," he growls angrily.

"My sister has always fought our father tooth and nail over everything, I think he told himself he'd never give me the chance to fight back," she tells him.

"Beth," he says, biting his thumbnail, eyes a dark storm, "ya know my old man was a piece of shit, but what yers is doin' to ya ain't any better, is it? 'S just different."

"No, I know he loves me but-"

He cuts her off, his words sharp but dense, slicing through her thoughts. "Lovin' somebody don't mean ya get to chain 'em down and keep 'em from growin' and livin' their lives, does it?"

"I guess I never really thought about it like that," Beth says softly.

"Not sayin' ya gotta stand up to 'em or nothin', but know it's normal to wanna do things on yer own. Ya ain't a little girl, Beth," Daryl says, taking another sip of beer for liquid courage, finishing it off.

"Thank you, Daryl. Sometimes I think it takes somebody else, looking at things from another perspective, ya know?" She smiles at him, her cheeks flushed in the soft light coming from the baby's night light.

The apples of her cheeks are rosy, making her eyes pop a sapphire blue, sparkling so clearly in his view. So blue they take his breath away. Her smile pulled into a grin, her small pixyish face more gorgeous than any girl, any woman he's even known. It's strange, her face is so familiar to him now, burned into his memory, etched into his eyelids like a tattoo. Maybe it's the beer getting to his head but, he knows there's no other way he'd rather have it.

She was wearing a pair of jeans and sneakers as usual, a plain grey t-shirt and a soft pink cardigan, but Daryl swears he's never seen her look more beautiful. For being so tiny, her legs are miles long, slender hips he'd often thought about wrapping his arms around.

"Daryl?" Beth whispers, getting up from the rocking chair and closing the dooring behind her quietly.

"Sorry," he mumbles, not realizing he'd been staring. Or at least, not realizing she'd caught him.

"How many beers have you had?" she laughs softly, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Be careful, Daryl. You know I'll feel that."

"Only a couple. Ya ain't ever drank before?"

"No, I'm not twenty-one!" Beth gasps as if that's such a crime and now they're both giggling.

Daryl had been drinking far before his twenty-first birthday. Beth being so naive made him chuckle all the while more.

"Don't gotta be of age to drink," he grins, getting up from the couch to grab another. "Mind if I have one more?"

"You better be careful. I gotta drive home and I don't want Rick and Lori coming home finding me drunk as a skunk! You know I'll feel it!" Beth says, shaking her head.

"Relax, girl. Only gonna have one more. 'Course yer _definitely_ gonna feel these if ya ain't never drank before," Daryl mumbles in amusement.

"I think I already do?" she laughs, putting her hands in front of her face.

"You'd know if you did, trust me." he says, shaking his head and taking a large drink of the next beer.

"You know, Maggie drank before she was twenty-one all the time. My daddy used to catch her when she was a teenager," Beth laughs, laying down in what he assumes to be a guest bedroom, baby monitor in her hands.

"Oh yeah?" Daryl smirks.

"Yeah," she says, "one time he was doing some gardening and found a flask full of whiskey in the bushes. He was so mad she got grounded for three whole months. I'd never seen her cry so much in my whole life."

"Nice," he says, shaking his head.

"I feel weird. Kind of floaty," she says softly.

"Yeah?" he mumbles, watching her reaction carefully.

"Uh huh," Beth says, nodding her head and smiling.

"What do ya think? Ya like it?" he asks.

"It's better than cigarettes," she laughs closing her eyes, relaxing into the pillows behind her.

Reaching a hand up to untie the braid in her hair, her fingers comb through her hair, wild and wavy, cascading down her shoulders. It's longer now than he's seen it in past visions, even when she was younger.

Daryl feels a little guilty, staring at her like this but at the moment, he absolutely can't help it. Sprawled out on the bed like that, stretching her arms high above her head, her shirt lifting up exposing a small sliver of creamy, pale skin.

Continuing to rake her fingers through her hair, she scratches her scalp.

"Mmm, I know you feel that, Daryl Dixon," Beth giggles, and he does, he feels her tiny hands, the pads of her fingers, her nails. He feels it all.

"Yeah, I feel it," he smiles, laying back and enjoy her touch, buzzing from the beer, from her touch.

"Feels good, huh?" she asks.

"Mmhm," he grumbles, letting out a deep moan in his throat.

"Why don't you ever cut your hair, hmm?" Beth hums.

"Don't like it, waste a money gettin' haircuts," he shrugs, trying to find a way to lean into her touch, if he even knew how.

"I'd give ya one. Cut Shawn and my daddy's hair all the time."

"Naw, what if ya did a bad job? Then I'd be stuck with ya in my head forever," Daryl teases, laughing deep from his chest.

"Hey! My momma taught me and I've never had any complaints so far. I'd give you a great haircut, Daryl Dixon," she scoffs, stopping the scratching to stick her tongue out at him.

"We'll see about that. After that you'd probably give me a bald spot."

"No way, I like your hair way too much to do something like that," she says, smiling softly.

Daryl can't help but blush, feeling awkward. The small amount of alcohol left them both feeling buzzed, this new experience for Beth making her feel strange. Not in a bad way, but certainly unfamiliar.

"Think we could have a real drink some day?" she asks, her voice hazy.

"Whatcha mean, girl? Beer ain't a real drink?" Daryl responds quizzically.

"No, I mean, like we'd both drink one, together," Beth says quickly as if she's afraid she might regret it, biting her lip.

"In person?" Daryl asks, taken aback.

He hadn't actually thought about the possibility of meeting her in person. It was something that he'd thought about a couple times, her only living three hours away but her bringing it up made this real. Not just like some shared secret between them.

"Well, yeah. That's what I was hopin'," she laughed softly, looking at him from under bent bashes, her doe-like eyes piercing his vision.

"After all this Merle shit settles, maybe I could ride over one Saturday or somethin'," Daryl says, shrugging, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Is that something you'd want to do, Daryl? 'Cause I'd really like that," she says, rolling over on her side, bunching up a pillow underneath her head.

"Yeah, I'd come see ya, Beth," he grins, trying to hold back a full on smile, taking another swig of beer to occupy his mouth.

"Yeah?" she asks, beaming.

"Yeah, said I would," Daryl laughs, shaking his head.

"I'd really, really like that, Daryl," she gushes, her eyes looking more glassy now.

"Ya sure yer daddy wouldn't mind me comin' round though?" he asks hesitantly, unsure of his words, unsure of the situation. He forgets how young she is, how sweet and naive. Daryl thinks he must look like a bumbling idiot to her half the time.

"He wouldn't have to know, would he?" Beth grins.

He can definitely tell she's buzzed now, the both of them feeling more relaxed, yet somehow anxious, dancing around each other's thoughts and feelings, an army of butterflies swarming between their two stomachs, traveling up into their ribcage, tickling everything in their wake.

Merle had always told him this type of thing was for pussies but he didn't give a shit either way at this point. What he was feeling, what Beth was making him feel, was like anything else he'd ever know in his entire life. She was strikingly beautiful, inside and out. Accepting him wholly, doing her best to understand his past, not having any qualms about who he was. Daryl had never known anyone like that in his entire life.

He was sure Beth Greene was one of a kind. There was no doubt about that in his mind and he hoped she knew that, whether he could vocalize it to her at all.

"See what I can do, alright? Try to come see ya soon," he says, nodding his head, setting the beer bottle down on the table.

Three beers would normally do absolutely nothing to him but it must have been Beth's low tolerance influencing him, the flush on her cheeks mirroring his own.

"I feel so warm," she muses, bringing her hands to her face.

"I know ya are, I can feel it," Daryl smirks.

Beth sits up, peeling off her cardigan, pulling it over her head, her shirt sticking to her sweater. Then he gets a full view of her slim, soft stomach, her tiny waist, belly button peeking at him.

"Ugh," she sighs, "I'm gonna text Lori and see if I can sleep here. There's no way I'm driving home now. I pray I don't smell like beer."

Beth frowns, grabbing her phone from the bedside table.

"Yer fine, Darlin. It was only three. Not like the cigarettes," he tells her.

"Mmm, I sure hope so," she says, biting her lip as her finger glides across the screen. "I've spent the night before, so I know they won't mind. Daddy doesn't like me driving late at night anyways."

She rolls her eyes at the last statement and he cracks a grin. Pulling the blankets down, she crawls inside the bed.

Daryl wishes he could reach out and touch her, caress her face, her cheek, her chin. Feel the softness of her skin under his rough fingers.

"You're cute when you're sleepy," she sighs happily.

Daryl grins, looking away quickly, turning off the lights and shuffling into his own bedroom.

"Pretty cute yourself there, Greene. Never would have taken ya fer such a flirty drunk though," he snickers, taking off his work boots.

"Nope, just being truthful," Beth says bluntly, her eyes a little glassy.

He wants to tell her how beautiful she looks like this. Golden blonde hair, wild and lustrous, framing her tiny impish face. Eyes bigger than anyone's he's ever seen in his entire life, deep blue, bold, fixed on him.

A blush comes across her face, the apples of her cheeks, her elegant, swan like neck. Her thin, delicate shoulders. The shadows of her collarbone beckoning him in in the dark.

She looks up at him, from under her long, dark lashes, a slightly drunk grin on her face, not unlike one he's seen on many girls and women alike in his life, but on Beth, it looks almost natural. As if she's given that look to a million men in her life but he knows he's the first.

"I know what you're thinking, Daryl Dixon," she smirks.

"Oh yeah? Think ya know everythin' now, do ya girl?" he laughs, shaking his head.

Daryl can feel her holding back, unsure of herself. Her naivety is evident then and he feels hesitant, wondering if the things she'd said about wanting to see him in person were only fueled by alcohol or if her intentions had been genuine. From what he'd learned about her in that short period of time, aside from the visions, the years of pushing her out of his mind, the dreams, the flashbacks, he'd come to see that Beth was for the most part up front about her feelings. She wore her heart on her sleeve.

"Never been a know-it-all, but I think I've got you figured out pretty good," she says confidently.

"That so?" he says, unbuttoning his work shirt and sliding it off his shoulders.

There wasn't much to hide from her now, he knew. She'd seen his scars all his life, in a way they were a part of her memories too.

"Yep," she yawns, turning up the baby monitor. "You're a regular sweetheart even though you look a little scary at first. Kind of like a junkyard dog,"

" _Wow_ ," he laughs, "can't say I haven't heard worse, but because yer drunk, I'll take that as a compliment and not an insult."

Beth smiles and closes her eyes, cuddling into the pillows beside her as her phone beeps loudly. Picking it up she squints her eyes.

"Lori says it's fine and my Daddy hasn't answered back, so chances are he already went to bed," she shrugs, rolling back over.

"Yer parents ain't gonna chew ya out?" he asks.

"Probably, but what are they gonna do? I'm not a baby anymore, right?" Beth says softly.

Daryl nods his head, laying down to admire her almost sleeping form. He watched her chest rise and fall with every breath, slowly becoming heavier, deeper.

"You promise me you're gonna be careful? With those men? Your brother's friends?" she asks without opening her eyes.

"Meeting with Merle's parole officer tomorrow. Everything is gonna be just fine, darlin. I promise."

"We gotta promise we're gonna protect each other, Daryl. I don't know why this is happening to us, but I know I'm gonna do whatever I can to protect you," she rambles, sleepily.

Daryl smirks at the thought of tiny little Beth going up against two men like Joe and Len but can't help but admire her for it. There hadn't been many people in his life willing to stand up for him, fight for his honor, or his life and there was little ole Beth Greene, wanting to take on the world for him.

Not really knowing or understanding how, Daryl feels himself reaching forward to touch her, feeling her hair between his fingers, silky and impossibly soft. He wonders if he's sleeping at this point, if they've both fallen asleep and are sharing the same dream.

"Everything is gonna be fine, Beth. Don't worry," he says, finding the strength to curl his body against hers, inhaling deeply into her hair, relishing in these stolen moments, cherishing this woman in his arms, in his mind. Thanking whatever cosmic power, whatever being that granted this possible for them, for their two souls to intertwine and intermingle, their thoughts one.

Not knowing and not understanding why or how, but not caring all together because none of it had to make sense, Daryl placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, tracing his finger there on her soft, milky skin.

"Goodnight, Beth," he whispers, knowing from the rhythm of her breath that she's already fast asleep, hoping he'll know how to harbor this power tomorrow, not wanting to sleep, only wanting to hold her a moment longer. This conscious touch something so new, almost dreamlike and ethereal.

He'll never let anyone hurt her, he tells himself. That's not so much a promise now in his mind as it is a fact. No harm will ever come to Beth Greene as long as he can help it. Not when she's in his arms like this, Daryl is convinced that there can't be any wrong in the world. Not with her there, in his bed, in his arms. Physical, mental, dream-state, he doesn't care either way. In any form, she's his.


	10. Chapter 10

When Daryl woke up that next morning, Beth's hangover was evident because he could feel it radiating through his bones. Clammy hands, one hell of a headache and a upset stomach to follow. He snickered to himself as he picked up his dirty laundry, knowing she was likely to be grouchy.

He shook his head, still surprised by what a goody-goody she was. Twenty-one years old and she still hadn't had a proper drink. If he did ever make his way down to Savannah, that was the first thing he'd make sure of. Daryl wondered if that was something she'd been genuine about, wanting to meet in person. A part of him thought maybe she got caught up in her head, the idea of meeting him daring and exciting, the idea slowly wearing off as she woke up remembering all she had said.

It wasn't that he was against the idea of coming to see her, but what would it really be like? Seeing each other face to face? Wouldn't it be strange? Of course it would, but how would it work? Would the world suddenly tear apart? Would the world end and the fiery infernos of hell rise to the earth? Maybe this was something they weren't supposed to mess with at all, he wondered in the back of his mind.

Daryl had often rolled these thoughts around in this head. The hows and whys, the what ifs. But he had no answers to any of those questions and knew he likely never would. And neither would Beth. So why drive themselves crazy asking these kind of things?

Pushing through, he watched her with her family, looking pale and miserable, just as he'd suspected, not much different from Daryl after his first night of drinking.

"Beth, ya gotta start takin' better care of Nellie. She's getting old now. Can't have you forgetting about her hair, getting knots in it," Beth's father scolded from across the table.

"I'll take care of it, Daddy. Do you forget I watch a baby all day long? God forbid I forget to comb Nellie's hair one time," Beth retorts, her sourness showing her age for the first time since he'd come to know her.

"Don't you take the lord's name in vain, young lady," Hershel warns, narrowing his eyes at his daughter.

"Don't be a brat, girl. Lettin' those beers get the better of ya," Daryl whispered, letting her know he was there.

She nods her head, looking up for a moment as almost to signify to Daryl that she sees him, hears his words.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm real tired. Judith is cutting two new teeth and so that's why I'm grumpy," she says.

Hershel's composure shifts slightly. "If I didn't know better I'd think that sounded an awful lot like one of your sister's lines. I hope you're not using Lori and that poor baby as an excuse to lie and sneak around," he warns.

"Why would I do that? You can ask Lori yourself, I was asleep when they got back and so was Judith. Carl was at a friend's house," she throws her hands up in protest, abandoning all willingness to reason with him.

"I didn't accuse you of anything, Bethy. I'm just telling you I know strange behavior when I see it," he said going back to his coffee. "If you've got a guilty conscience, that's another story."

Beth shook her head, taking her dishes to the sink and rinsing them off. She walks upstairs to her room, closing the door quickly behind her.

"What a cop out. Three beers I didn't even technically drink and I get the third degree because of _you_ ," she smirks at him, crossing her hands over her chest.

"Hey, I didn't know it was gonna affect you like that, did I?"

He knew Beth wasn't really angry with him, knew she was old enough to deal with her father. Not like she actually had been out doing something bad. Not technically anyways. She had been asleep in bed where she said she was. Sure, an older man had gotten her drunk and spooned with her all night, how Daryl had managed that one, he still wasn't sure, but he knew it had happened.

"Nah, guess you didn't," she laughs, laying down on her bed, "still owe me a proper drink though."

"Oh yeah? That still somethin' you want?" he asks gruffly.

"Course it is. Don't think I'm gonna let you forget that one. You said you were coming to visit me some day and I'm holding you to it," Beth says matter-of-factly, pulling a paddle brush out of her bedside drawer.

"Wasn't sure if you weren't just sayin' that or not," he shrugs his shoulders, not looking at her, "cause of the beer, or whatever."

Daryl continues cleaning, putting away what few meager dishes he had, watching Beth's reaction out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't often he didn't know what she was thinking or feeling, but this emotion felt new to him. Blurred and jumbled, confused and bewildered, her face looked sad, almost heart broken.

"I never say anything just because, Daryl," she says softly, the words coming out bruised and delicate.

He had known that about her, from the start. Back when he thought she was Alice, not Beth, not some fragile piece of glass. Beth was just as much human as he was, every piece of flesh and bone the same as his. How strange it was, sharing a heart with this girl, feeling her anxieties settling in his chest, making his hands shake, his breath hitch.

She works the brush through her long, golden locks and he becomes hypnotized watching the movement of the bristles. Her eyes cast down on the ground, he feels her anticipation, waiting for his response but the words do not come out.

Daryl gulps hard, going back to work. Emptying out his ashtray and wiping off the small coffee table, he watches her. Her expression still sad, brows knit in thought, big blue eyes a darker shade of blue than usual.

"Ain't easy, ya know," he tells her quietly, breaking her thoughts. "Don't know what ya want me to do, Beth."

She stops brushing, her hair all over to one side, her sweater slouched down, exposing the smooth skin of her bare shoulder. The skin there is even more beautiful there than what he's seen at her hips, softer he thinks, even more milky aside from the few random freckles kissing her skin.

"I wish you'd quit tryin' to hold me back. I can feel that. The tugging? That's you not tellin' me things. Lying," Beth says softly, licking her lips as if she had to rid herself of the last word, not wanting to accuse him of anything so brash.

"What did I lie about?" he grumbles, pulling out the small vacuum next.

"I don't know," she shouts when he turns it on, the sound drowning out her voice.

"When all this shit dies down, I'll try to come see you, okay?" he yells, shaking his head.

"I'm worried about you, Daryl," she says softly.

He turns off the vacuum, looking at her blankly for a moment because more often than not, he can't believe she's real. Not only does she not feel real to him, but everything apart of her, how much she cares for him, is completely overwhelming at times. Never in his life did Daryl have anyone say those words to him. Sure, his mother had worried about him, cared for him, but those concerns were never expressed, never made known.

" _Beth_ ," he sighs, shaking his head, "Already told ya, ain't gonna let anybody hurt ya."

"You're funny, you know," she smirks at him and he feels a pang in his stomach, "I'm already feeling, thinking, hearing ya and you don't even know it."

"What are ya talkin' about?" he asks gruffly.

"You can't fight this, Daryl. It's gettin' stronger by the day. If you'd quit resisting, you'd feel it too."

Looking down at the ground, he takes in her words, tries to absorb them, roll them around in his mind and make sense of them. Make sense of this girl, this woman, who has already grown so much more wise in the short time that he's known her than anyone he's ever met in his life. Whatever the reason is this connection between them exists, he'd be stupid to push her away.

"Don't mean to, ain't easy for me," he says, looking up to meet her gaze, taking in her beauty as well as her words.

"It's hard for me to try to read your mind, as much as I'd like to. Although I'm confident I'm getting closer," she smirks at him, her hair shining magnificent, radiant gold.

" _Jesus Christ,_ " he stutters without really thinking or registering the thought, his brain giving out for a moment, not knowing if the words are being thought or vocalized, "yer fuckin' beautiful."

Beth grins widely, a blush immediately takes over her face, her neck, her chest. She quickly covers her mouth, laughing softly for a moment because they're both embarrassed, Daryl shocked as his confession.

"Sorry," he laughs, running his hands through his hair awkwardly.

"Don't be. Took me by surprise, but I don't mind hearin' it one bit," Beth says smiling at him brightly, the blush now turning to a soft, pink glow. "You're welcome to tell me anything you want, any time, Daryl. I want to get to know every part of you."

Putting the vacuum away and finishing up the last few chores before the parole officer arrived, Daryl rolled her thoughts around in his mind some more.

"Gonna try more, tell ya more things," he mumbles, nodding his head.

"Good. Cause it's you and me in this together, Dixon. Can't expect me to figure out all this stuff for the both of us, can you?"

"Nah, I guess not," Daryl smirks, reaching out to touch that soft exposed shoulder.

He doesn't know how it is he's able to do that, but he wonders how it is she's just as bit as silky as he'd hoped. Apart of him wonders how she'll feel in person.

Beth had been feeling things differently for a few days. It wasn't something she noticed right away, not like the other feelings that came to her with Daryl. It was as if internally, she could feel his comings and goings throughout the day, tracking his emotions within herself without seeking them out.

She knew what he was feeling without telling her directly. It wasn't as if she was feeling these emotions herself, but as if they presented themselves to her.

Hitting his frustration like a brick wall, the stress of the day weighing down on his shoulders, Beth could feel the tightness in his muscles, thick with tension. A part of her wish she knew how to use these powers to iron out those creases in his mind, to make him feel at ease. To show him that things would eventually fall into place.

Not to mention the past few nights, aside from the hangover, she had been having more dreams. Less things that made sense but as she put the images together in her mind, things started to string together slowly. As time went on, the picture of who he really was became much more real to her. Daryl had suffered his whole life, she had known that. She had felt it herself for many years but how that she fully knew who he was, felt what he felt, those images broke her heart again and again.

As much as she was worried about Merle and his friends, she knew that without a doubt, she and Daryl would do what they needed to keep each other safe. What exactly that would entail, she wasn't sure yet but she was willing to do whatever was necessary.

Having the day off from watching Judith, Beth was thankful for the time to rest her mind. Being able to tap into these new feelings, new visions had made her exhausted. The stress of Merle's arrival was wearing on Daryl and in turn, Beth as well. After a lengthy nap, Beth was surprised to see the afternoon was almost gone.

Taking a hot bath and soaking her aching body, Beth laughed at the thought of experiencing her first hangover this way. Never had she thought it would turn out like that. Maybe going to a bar with Maggie and some friends but not three measly beers she hadn't even drank herself. Dipping down under the water, she savored the steaming hot water taking her mind away from her troubled thoughts.

In her chest she could feel his unsettled thoughts, knowing the time was coming near for the social worker. Breathing out deeply, Beth set her hands on either side of the tub, knowing if she concentrated hard enough, she could calm him down without having to say a word, without needing to look in fully.

 _Everything is going to be fine, Daryl. No need to give yourself a heart attack,_ she thought.

Putting the words out felt strange, like saying them out loud, but she knew, just knew if she kept trying this way, he would hear them eventually, if not feel them.

Finishing quickly, Beth washed her hair, detangling it carefully, wrapping herself up in her robe and towel, hoping to look in before he arrived, wanting to give Daryl any piece of encouragement she could.

There he was sitting, head in his hands, spotless apartment surrounding him, patiently awaiting. Then, she could feel it fully. His heart beating in her chest, almost painfully so, thumping a million miles a minute. Beth puts her hand to her chest then, closing her eyes tightly.

" _Daryl_ ," she whispered, catching his attention.

He looked up, meeting her gaze, brows furrowed in worry. Standing up, he begins pacing around the room.

"I know ya keep sayin' everythin' is gonna be fine and I keep tellin' ya that, but now that the guy is on his way over, ain't feelin' so sound on the whole thing," he said anxiously.

"It's this man's job to help you, to protect you," she told him, sitting down at the edge of her bed, wishing she could wrap her around around him, make him feel the comfort she was so wanting to give him.

"Ya really think that, Beth?" he scoffs, shaking his head. "Am I supposed to tell him Merle's asshole friends are already threatening me, huh? I can't expect anybody to do anythin' fer me, Beth."

"That isn't true, Daryl. You gotta be able to trust in this man, trust in me," she pleaded, trying to show him that there was someone good still, someone who could show him more than what Merle and his family had.

The sound of a knock at the front door broke their thoughts in two, Daryl breaking his eyes from hers. Opening it quickly, he went to shake the hand of the man behind it.

"Hello! Daryl?" he asked, cheerily, shaking his hand with great vigor.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm Daryl," he responded anxiously, giving his best awkward smirk.

"Bob Stookey! Pleasure to meet you! Spoke to you on the phone last week, right?"

"Yeah, come on in," Daryl

Bob had a wide, generous smile and kind eyes that immediately made Beth feel at ease. She hoped this was something that Daryl would see too.

"Alright," Bob said, cheerily. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

Taking out a series of papers from his briefcase, he began to organize them, setting aside a pile for Daryl to sign.

"I like to give a little overview about myself before I get started. My name is Robert Stookey, Bob, as you know and it is my job to work with your brother, Merle, to assist, monitor and educate as he adjusts to his new found freedom. As his parole officer, it is my job to main objective to help Merle find a job, whatever may work best for him, we will find that out as time goes on, but for now we're looking to keep him busy and out of trouble."

Daryl nodded his head, gulping. Looking up quickly at Beth, she could see him calming down a little bit.

"See? He seems nice," Beth whispered, trying to encourage Daryl to trust him.

"Merle has problems with substance abuse. You know that, I know that, he knows that," Bob started, not beating around the bush for a second. "It is our collective responsibility to make sure that Merle does not communicate with anyone who uses or has used in the past. Understood?"

Daryl nods again, chewing at the corner of his nail. "What if somebody comes around? Old friends?"

"It's important Merle stays with a program. We're gonna get him into some Narcotics Anonymous meetings, find him a sponsor, eliminate those things from happening," he states flatly. "This is up to Merle. Plain and simple. If he wants this life, the chance to turn his life around, he will."

Bob looks back down at the papers, gathering what Daryl needed to sign.

"You ever had any substance issues in the past, Daryl?" Bob asked, watching Daryl closely.

He'd known through the series of interviews and lengthy background check, Bob should have known he'd used in the past alongside his brother.

"Not in a long time," Daryl mumbles shrugging his shoulders.

"I've got a plan in mind for Merle," Bob said. "Whether he chooses to follow this plan, that's up to him, but all we can do is steer him in the right direction and hope that he'll want a better life for himself. Seems like you did."

"Didn't wanna end up like that. Seen what it did to him," he said, looking at Bob square in the face.

"Used to drink a lot, Daryl. I was an army medic. Seen a lot of things that messed with my head, scrambled my brain, but you can't let those things get to you. Using only makes it worse, you know?" Bob asked, giving him a knowing look.

"This isn't just about Merle, anymore. A lot of people don't have anyone to come back to - you're lucky to have each other," he said to Daryl.

Daryl thought on that for a moment, feeling Beth holding her breathing, waiting for him to admit to defeat. That maybe this man could help him to turn Merle's life around. Maybe there was a chance that things could and would work out after all.

Their mutual fears had left them both confused and disoriented, but for the first time, he felt a real sense of solidarity with this girl, a sense of pride for overcoming this situation. He had wanted to doubt her, but knew deep inside just how strong she really was.

"I gotta go to the meetings with him too?" Daryl asked.

"If you wanna. Take him, drop him off. Sit in the back the first couple of meetings. Give him your support," Bob told him.

"What am I supposed to do if he won't wanna do any of this?" he asked hesitantly.

"Gonna have a curfew, drug tests, NA and a sponsor, meetings with me once a week. It'll be difficult at first, I promise you that much, but if you stick with it, it can work," Bob said, putting out a hand to shake Daryl's again.

"This is gonna be a good thing for you, Daryl Dixon. I promise," he told Daryl confidently.

After Bob left, Daryl practically collapsed on the couch, letting out a deep sigh, his broad shoulders drooping, the tension slowly releasing.

Beth let herself breathe now too, standing up to get the brush from her bedside drawer like she had the night before, finding herself smiling at the thought of Daryl becoming a part of her every day routine.

"Are you alright?" she asked him, working the brush through the ends of her hair, moving upward.

"As alright as I'm gonna be," Daryl mumbled, rolling against the couch, closing his eyes tightly.

She tries something, knowing that he had reached out and touched her, why couldn't she? It didn't feel like a human touch, almost like a ghost over your flesh, a goosebump, like the fingertips of a memory gently brushing over your skin. Maybe he had tapped through physically, his own strength, his own need to make her feel real, not just a life long figment of his imagination.

Touching his back softly, he winces, opening his eyes for a moment, letting go a deep breath and relaxing to the new, somewhat familiar touch.

"You feel that?" Beth asks him, not being able to help but smile, buzzing from this newfound discovery.

"Uh-huh," he mumbles. "Still don't feel real though. Like I'm touching my own back, but I ain't."

She laughs, causing him to turn back over and scowl at her.

"When you touch me, when we sleep together at night, it doesn't feel like anything I've ever felt before," she confesses, breaking her eyes from his for a moment, biting her lip.

"How many men you touched, huh? Don't think ya know enough to make that judgement. Don't know enough to know what that actually feels like," Daryl scoffs at her, his face red at the thought of her mentioning them sleeping side by side, in a dream state or not.

Feeling a pang of hurt and anger in her stomach, Beth can't help but feel overwhelmed for a moment. The sensation of sadness, embarrassment and naivety flowing over her, reminding her of her age compared to his.

"I've had a boyfriend before," Beth tells him quietly, lips pursed. "I'm not some child, Daryl."

"Didn't say ya were. Just think it's fuckin' weird, bein' able to do that," he shrugs. "Never said I didn't like it. Just ain't used to sleeping next to anybody."

They sit there in silence for a moment, Beth's hair still dripping wet, her hand now withdrawn from his back. The sadness she feels can't help but teeter between confusion and apprehension, her feelings muddled between his, crosswired between their hearts and brains, their consciousness intertwining in the silence, forever working and forging their bond.

"Why ya got that fuckin' robe on still? Put somethin' on, girl," he stammered awkwardly, looking away from her.

"Got out of the bathtub and I got caught up in the meeting with Bob," she tells him, taking the towel from her bed to ring her hair of the remaining moisture.

"Yeah, yeah, I ain't lookin', change yer clothes," Daryl grumbles at her, crossing his arms at his chest.

Beth laughs, pulling a pair of pajama shorts and a t-shirt from her dresser drawer. She looks at him to make sure he isn't looking, wondering if he can still see her, eyes closed or not. Quickly taking off the robe, she steps into the shorts, pulling the shirt over her head.

"All done," she tells him, dissecting her hair into a braid. "You know, I really like Bob, Daryl. He seems like a real nice man."

"Anybody ever told ya yer too damn optimistic? Seems like one of them weird sober people but I hope he helps Merle get his shit together 'cause I don't know what the fuck else to do."

"You got me, Daryl. We got each other," Beth says softly.

"I know, girl," he says, letting out a shaky breath, chuckling a little, shaking his head. "I know."

Before he even lifts his hand, Beth reaches out for his, wrapping her fingers around his, her skin buzzing from the strange form of contact, reminding her once again that this was all very, very real.

Looking into one another's eyes apprehensively, they know that their feelings, their powers are increasing with every day. Now, with touch, it was another element in which they could communicate.


	11. Chapter 11

Beth tossed and turned that night, clutching to Daryl tightly, subsciously following him into the dark, this dream pulling her in. Floating through the midnight air into the past, pulling him closer to her body, she could feel him shaking, his skin hot like coals, drenched in sweat.

Suddenly she sees the thick smoke of a bar, Daryl and Merle standing beside a pool table, easily ten years prior. His hair shorter, not as shaggy as the man she knows today. Flannel not yet ripped but rolled up to his muscular forearms. Daryl stands beside his older brother, a beer in his hand, the nervousness in his eyes, she can tell he doesn't want to be there.

The women standing in front of Merle are clad in metal band t-shirts and leather, high heels and red lipstick, eyeing them both up and down as they play pool.

"What are ya wanting us to do, Merle? Last time I did this shit ya ripped us off," one of them smirks, chalking the tip of a pool cue.

"Wantin' ya to get me some cold tablets, baby girl," Merle says, taking a large swig of beer.

"Cold tablets?" she repeats, not looking impressed.

"That's right," he says. "Ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. Ain't as easy as snapping yer fingers and - BAM! There it is!"

"You think you're some kind of fuckin' scientist, Merle?" she scoffs, turning away from him to take the shot.

"Just call me Albert fucking Weinstein, darlin," he chuckles, eyeing the curves of the woman's body.

"It's Albert Einstein," Daryl mumbles and Merle shoots him a look.

"Whatever, same shit," Merle shrugs.

"How do we know you're gonna pay us this time?" one of the other women asks, walking up beside Daryl, extending her hand to his shirt, one red nail scratching up and down his chest.

"Girl, I paid ya last time. Ya didn't ask me fer paper, did ya? Not my fault ya put it all up yer nose so quickly," Merle says sharply.

Suddenly Beth feels a pang of apprehension hit her like a tidal wave, the woman's hand now at Daryl's chest, pulling herself to him, she can feel her breath on his neck. Hot and stale with the scent of beer and cheap perfume. All his hair goes on end and he holds in a breath, wishing she'd back off.

While Merle and the other two women argue over logistics and prices, the manufacturing process and how he wants them to handle the deal, Daryl tries to think of ways to get this woman off him.

"Wanna buy me a shot?" she asks, licking her lips, looking at him like she's ready to devour him any second.

"Nah," Daryl says, shaking his head, arms awkwardly at his sides.

As the woman gets closer to his face, Beth can feel Daryl's heart rate increasing, his pulse quickening with every caress of his chest.

"Don't wanna spend time with me, huh?" she asks, pressing up against him, her hand traveling down to his belt buckle.

"Don't," Daryl warns, eyes narrowing at this woman.

Pushing her back, he takes the last sip of his beer, walking away from Merle and the women.

"C'mon."

"We'll be in touch ladies. I look forward to having you as a part of team Dixon," he tells them, flashing his signature smile.

They roll their eyes and wave him off, going back to their game without a second thought.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Merle growled, pulling out a cigarette. "She was ready to go!"

"Ain't lookin' to get the clap," he smirks back.

"Beggars can't be choosers," Merle says bluntly.

Daryl waited nervously next to Bob while his brother went through the motions, today was the day he had been waiting for. The look of Merle's face was as smug as ever, that signature grin etched into his memory, burned into his conscious.

"I did it! Can ya believe it, baby brother?" Merle chuckled excitedly, shaking Bob's hand before taking his brother into a quick, awkward hug.

"Haven't done nothin' yet, gotta keep yer nose clean and get a job first. Then I'll be impressed," Daryl mumbled, following his brother and the parole officer outside.

"Hey, you've got high expectations, that's not a bad thing, Daryl." Bob said cheerily. "I expect nothing less from Merle myself!"

"No pressure then, huh?" Merle grinned, looking at his younger brother for any shred of amusement on his face, finding none. "Got a smoke?"

"Nah, I quit," Daryl shrugged, turning his face away to spit, not looking Merle in the eye.

It felt so strange to see him there, not on the other side of the glass. Something about the tension between them was more than awkward, it was downright strange. Daryl couldn't put his finger on this emotion, feeling scared for sure, finally being put up to something like this, the possibility of Merle ruining everything he'd worked hard to maintain himself.

He'd wished Beth would do something, say anything to show him she was there, but found himself reaching for her absence.

 _Where you at, girl?_ he thought, hoping Beth would show up soon and save him from this shitty situation.

"Ya quit? A Dixon never quits!" Merle exclaimed, looking towards Bob for a laugh in response.

"Well, obviously that's not true since you're both clean now," Bob nodded, forcing an awkward laugh.

"Besides, I think it's 'winners never quit and quitters never win', Merle."

"Well, I'm gonna be a winner now," Merle says. "Ain't goin' back, that's fer sure."

Daryl shakes his head, wondering how much bullshit Merle can load this guy up with before he'll realize he's never going to change. Bob seemed to be the optimistic type, but he'd have to know Merle was playing him already. How could be not?

"I already gave Daryl a list of the closest N/A meetings so we can get that started as soon as possible," Bob said, motioning towards Daryl.

"Yeah, there's a church close by," he says.

"Gonna go with me then?" Merle asks.

"Guess so," Daryl says, looking away from his brother.

Already he felt like he was under a microscope, Merle and Bob like two tethers. Merle like a kid with a magnifying glass, just waiting to burn him up into a tiny crisp like a bug who never had a chance. Bob watching, a warning finger reminding him to behave, follow the rules, watch after his brother.

This was going to be beyond difficult.

Beth knew these growing feelings for Daryl were something beyond their bond, something she had never experienced before but something more than that. Something strangely comforting and solid, becoming more a part of her every day. Daryl _was_ a part of her. It occurred to her then, that he always had been. Only now she knew that and could embrace him, show him how fully this connection was changing both of their lives for the better.

But how could she act on them? Real as this bond was, as much as she felt it within her heart and soul, the distance was still a barrier between them, the final thing that kept them hurtling through time and space, the thing that kept them divided and maybe even safe. Thoughts like that made her wonder if they were playing with fire, making plans to see one another.

Regardless of that, stipulations aside, Beth felt something, that sensation pulling her closer to this man, his mind enveloping hers completely, lulling her senses, making him a part of her.

Beth shook her head, blushing at the thought of his anger, his resentment towards their physical closeness. Lashing out at her for bringing up their strange sleep arrangement that had now become a nightly occurrence. It was something she'd become used to now, a place in her mind, there with him she could not escape. Crawling into it as easily as she did her own bed, curling around him, his arm around her body, protected and strong.

He had been right. She didn't have anything to compare that to, but she knew the feeling was one she didn't want to let go of anytime soon.

The dream the night before, the vision had made things a little more clear, she felt the apprehension in Daryl, his uneasiness. The last thing she'd ever want to do was make him feel that way, like she wanted to pick him apart into tiny little pieces. That was never what Beth had hoped for Daryl. If anything, she wanted to take those pieces, put them back together and show him that the two of them, together, could be so much more.

The need to support him, to comfort him, was sometimes almost overwhelming for her. How to make him feel these things, she wasn't sure.

Settling Judith into her carrier, Beth began picking up the toys on the floor, trying to tidy the area where the baby often played in the Grimes' living room.

Lori came out of her bedroom, fastening an earring to her ear. This was one of her days off but she went to go run errands, getting things ready for the week ahead. Then she'd come home and do laundry with Beth, light house work. She enjoyed those days, spending time with someone other than Judy, not that she minded.

In the time that Beth had watched her daughter, she and Lori had become friends. Most of the girls her age she'd been friends with in high school had gone off to college, moved away or lost touch. Other than Maggie, Lori was the closest person she had left to a friend.

"Can I ask you something?" Beth stammered, watching Lori work her fingers through her hair, bringing it up to a ponytail.

"Sure," Lori said with the hair elastic between her teeth. "Shoot."

"Before," she started, already unsure how to begin this sentence. "Before you met Rick, were you ever with anyone...older?"

"Older?" Lori repeated, looking a little confused. "I mean, not older than Rick. Do you have a boyfriend I don't know about, Beth?"

"No," Beth said shaking her head, cheeks flushed. "He's not my boyfriend. I'm just askin' is all."

"So there is a guy!" she exclaimed, teasingly giving Beth a look, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Seriously though," Beth said, blushing crimson red. "Older men, what is there to know?"

"Jesus, Beth, you think this is the kind of advice I should give you? Your daddy would hate me forever."

"Again, I'm twenty, not twelve," Beth mumbles, narrowing her eyes at Lori.

"How much older we talking here?" Lori shakes her head, putting on a coat of chapstick, pursing her lips together.

"Ten, twelve years maybe?" Beth wagered, unsure of Daryl's real age, going off of what she'd gauged in her mind over the years.

Lori took a little hair elastic from the vanity drawer, gathering a little bit of Judith's hair in a spot on top of her head and securing it in place. She shook her head in protest, pushing her mother's hands away.

Beth awaited a response from Lori, hoping she'd have something useful to say that didn't involve telling her to find someone closer to her age.

"What do you want to know?" she finally asked.

"I don't know," Beth laughed softly, feeling awkward about phrasing her question. "How do I make him see that I'm an adult? That I know what I'm talking about? That I know what I want and I can be there for him?"

"There for him? Like, sexually?"

"No!" Beth snapped back quickly, furrowing her brow. "I mean emotionally!"

"Well, you know that's a part of it too, right?"

Turning away from Lori, she tried to even think if those implications in this kind of situation. If things were complicated before, adding that to her list of potential problems when it came to Daryl made things even more confusing.

"I want to know how to make him see that I can be there for him _emotionally_ ," she repeated fully.

"Be willing to listen, let him know that you're there for him whether he wants to let you in or not. His being older doesn't make a difference as far as that's concerned," Lori said, putting a hand on Beth's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"You think so? Sometimes I think he takes me for some naive kid, you know? Like everybody else," Beth said softly, turning to look her in the eye.

"I'm sure that's not true, Beth. If he cares about you, which he must, he knows you're a strong, smart, beautiful young woman. Anyone who knows you knows that," she says.

"Thanks."

"Just promise me you won't let him take advantage of you," Lori says, hugging Beth from the side. "I know you're a mature young woman, but sometimes older men aren't all they're chalked up to be."

"He's not like that," she said, playing with the wisps of hair falling from Judith's messy ponytail.

"Good," Lori said giving her hand a squeeze.

Lori went about the rest of her routine, getting ready to leave to go handle grocery shopping and errands, leaving Beth with her thoughts. Judy fell asleep shortly after, going down for a nap, the remainder of the morning to be spent at Beth's leisure.

She felt foolish, wondering these things about Daryl, referring to him as an older man. These feelings were disconcerting to her, because if Daryl didn't fully return them, she'd be stuck with the guilt forever, unless she could find a way to block him out. And that wasn't likely either.

The dream the night before had shown her how apprehensive and shy he really could be, pushing too hard could leave him running from her so matter how hard she tried if she didn't approach this carefully. It was so hard to fully comprehend this situation, more overwhelmed than ever.

He had told her he'd thought she was beautiful, after all, reached over and touched her shoulder, made her feel something she hadn't before. Those actions had to be worth weight in gold in comparison to his words. For now, that would have to be enough.

By the time they were finished arranging things with Bob, Daryl was already over his brother's chatter. The entire drive home all Merle could talk about was how glad he was to be out and how sorry he was for the past. Like a broken record, repeating the same stupid things under his breath, pointing out old spots where they had gotten into trouble, turning up his favorite songs on the radio.

The entire day had Daryl feeling like absolute shit. Merle had become the monkey on his back again in only a matter of hours, only now he was ten times more annoying.

"This is the couch," Daryl mumbles, throwing a blanket and pillow on it. "Pulls out."

"I hope I can say the same for you, baby brother!" Merle said, laughing loudly. "That should be the Dixon motto, 'when in doubt, pull out'."

"Ya, well I wish Dad would have pulled out with you," he shoots back, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

"I know ya don't mean that," Merle chuckled. "Puttin' ya out, but it ain't so bad. Pretty soon you'll get used to me."

"Keep yer shit together and I won't have to get used to ya. Get yer own place and get the fuck out of my hair," Daryl said, looking down at his books.

"Ya don't worry, gonna do everythin' good ole Bob asks of me," Merle said.

"Don't trust ya further than I can throw ya," Daryl growls at him. "Give me a fuckin' reason to believe ya."

Daryl shuts his bedroom door behind him, stripping down to his boxers and crawling into bed. Despite Merle's best efforts to make him believe he was going to pull it together and do the right thing had him feeling disoriented, his older brother a reality check. The look in the face of his past and now his present.

Not even seeing her yet, he opens his eyes, feeling his heart beating faster, thumping in his chest so hard it was almost painful. That strong, pang of emotion, purely, wholly Beth.

Her arms around his waist, her face burrowed in his back, warm, comforting breath on his back. Melting away his stress, Merle now a world away, let alone another room. Daryl reached down for her hands, pulling them up to his chest, intertwining their fingers together.

"What do you think?" she whispered in his ear like a hot summer breeze, lulling his senses.

"I think he's full of shit," Daryl mumbled back, trying his best to keep his voice as low as possible.

"Well, from what I saw on the ride over, he seems pretty sincere," Beth said, running her fingers up and down his wrist.

He turns to meet her gaze, feeling overwhelmed with his anger for Merle mixed with his resentment towards her for pushing in and not saying anything.

"Why'd you keep quiet?" he asks her, searching her face for the emotion he can not place within her.

Maybe she is stronger, he wonders. Maybe her powers are easily harbored because she feels things more easily. Because she has the ability to let go, to not let things chew her up and spit her out.

"I didn't want to intrude, make you feel pressured."

"Would have wanted ya there today," Daryl mumbled, the sense of disappointment rushing through them both, the bond, her touch buzzing on his skin just above the emotion, a wave, a frequency.

"I'm sorry. It's hard for me to try to guess what you're feeling sometimes."

"Tried to open up, send thoughts out to ya," he shrugs. "Guess I'm not as strong as you are. This thing, it fucks with my head."

" _Let me in_ ," she whispers, pulling him closer to her. "I feel so much more than you know, Daryl. _Please_ , tell me you feel this as much as I do."

"I don't know what I feel," he gulps, letting out a shaky breath.

"Keep trying, keep talking to me, I'll hear you," she pleads, "I can feel how close we're getting."

He doesn't answer her, but she can feel the stillness in their bond, this constant game of chase starting to wear him down, ever so slowly.

"What makes ya think Merle's gonna get his shit together, huh?" Daryl asks gruffly.

"Because my daddy did it. If he can, anyone can."

Daryl thinks on that for a second, forgetting that she had some experience with addiction first hand. Sure, her father hadn't been an abusive alcoholic, but she knew what a relapse, and recovery, looked like.

"Have a little faith in him, Daryl. He hasn't even done anything yet."

He scoffs at her, pulling his blanket up, pushing her hands away. "That's the fuckin' problem. He doesn't have to do shit, I can already see the gears workin' in his head."

"Give it some time. Maybe he'll surprise you. There are better people in this world than you give credit for."

"What makes ya so sure there's good people left, huh? What makes ya so damn sure, girl?"

She shrugs, running the pads of her fingers along his back, occasionally scratching his skin with her nails.

He knows she can feel the scars, but he doesn't care anymore. There's no reason to hide that from her, when everything else is nearly impossible, her thoughts constantly bleeding into his.

"I just know."

"Yeah, well, Merle ain't good so don't go gettin' yer hopes up."

After a while, his muscles begin to relax into her touch, his breathing becoming slowed. Beth hums so sweetly, so softly it immediately sends him into a trance like state. Nuzzling her face into his neck, he can feel the velvety smoothness of her skin ghosting over his skin.

He lets out a deep breath, feeling himself succumbing to her every emotion, every touch, her non-verbal thoughts thinly coated between the barrier, their bond wrapping them up completely, entangling him in a cocoon like state.

" _Please, we're so close, Daryl_ ," she whispers. "I know we can figure this out, please keep trying."

"Ya talk about it like it's something ya can do if ya want it bad enough. Don't think it's that easy."

"I think it's even easier than you realize. I'm telling you, keep pushing me away."

And with that, Daryl knew that he'd have to instill his trust, his faith and inevitability his hope to this woman. Surrender to these shared feelings, emotions growing stronger every day, pushing him closer to her, no longer able to back away.


	12. Chapter 12

The first couple of weeks Daryl had a hard time getting used to having Merle in such close quarters again after so many years of his absence. All of his little quirks and traits that hadn't been so bad years before were like nails on a chalkboard to him now. Most mornings he was dashing out the door, Beth chattering away in his ear, Merle in his other, asking where he kept the garlic salt or something or other. As if Merle had ever cooked anything in his life that wasn't in microwave form in his prior life. Beth kept reminding him to keep an open mind, but the whole scenario seemed too bizarre to wrap his mind around. Between the two of them he felt himself running a little thin already.

Work was at least a small escape from his brother, steady customers coming in, keeping him busy throughout the day. Of course Aaron could sense the tension in Daryl and as he often did, took it upon himself to poke and pry, trying to be a listening ear for his coworker, not that Daryl was willing to tell him much.

"So, did you take him to the meetings?" Aaron asked on their lunch break, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Daryl shrugged. "Yeah, we went to all the ones on the schedule. Just feel like I'm babysittin' the asshole every waking moment."

"It's only been a couple of weeks," he says, "give it some time and you'll get used to him again."

"Maybe I don't want to get used to him," Daryl grumbles back, throwing his trash in the garbage and walking back to the garage.

Despite the anger towards his brother, Daryl tried his best to keep a routine set in plan for him, every day the same. No booze, no junk food. Five job interviews a week, which were proving to be difficult already, Merle's confidence slowly waning with every passing application. Bob encouraged him to be supportive, but in all honesty, he wasn't sure how to do that.

The meetings were interesting to say the least. Not like anything Daryl had really experienced before. A hub of activity, a buzz of excitement, the stench of cigarettes in the air not helping his nerves, the shitty coffee not doing a damn thing to take the edge off either.

Merle was visibly nervous, taking a lot longer to get ready for his first meeting than Daryl anticipated, borrowing one of his brother's flannels with the sleeves still in tact just for the occasion. When it came time for him to speak, to tell his story, Daryl could sense the apprehension in his shoulders, hunched and tense, his face a knot of worry.

He told a brief story of their childhood, Will Dixon and his love affair with the bottle, his lust for the belt. Merle's knee deep operation, from acid to meth, from middle man to wanna be head honcho, the decline that landed him in the big house, the what, or who, brought him to his rock bottom, and now on the other side a new man. Ready to face his new life, to turn over a new leaf.

Daryl scoffed at this, knowing this brother loved an audience. How were these people any different than his junkie friends? They loved to hear the shit Merle spouted out. In fact, they ate it up. It was all the same. The same kind of people, same stories going around and around, over and over again. Same shit, a different day, a new chip.

It would only be a matter of time before he got someone to believe in that bullshit enough to want to sponsor him. Daryl wasn't looking forward to that either, but at least with a sponsor there would be another eye to look out for Merle.

Sometimes Beth would be there with him, listening in, whispering soft words of encouragement in his ear, comforting him as she bounced Judith on her hip, stirring dinner with her other hand. Truth be told, he knew there was no way in hell he'd be capable of handling any of this without Beth. In their time together, she had truly become his rock. This tiny powerhouse of a woman, a pillar of strength, mighty in all of her thoughts and actions, a beacon of courage, a muse, an inspiration of vitality, a fortitude of stability.

Beth Greene was slowly but surely becoming his world. With every passing day, every week, this woman meant more and more to him and they both knew it. Their bond was solid now, strong and forceful, yet the seam that kept them from fully enveloping each other, from becoming one, was wearing thin. No needing to press through with much caution, weaving in and out through one another's consciousness without invitation or hesitation.

She chimes in throughout his day, reminding him to pick up groceries, because Merle can't live off of canned raviolis and ramen noodles, as they once had many years ago.

Despite her age, despite the ridiculous, otherworldly, possibly paranormal circumstances, Daryl can't help but feel himself falling for this girl. Her sweet, loving nature wearing down his tough exterior. The melody of her voice singing to him on nights when he can't sleep and she feels him stirring, stopping his protests with her tender touch. Never has he known a force so powerful, so immensely overwhelming, that no matter how hard he tried, he knew that there was no stopping it.

And he had promised her that he'd let her in, that he'd open up more and try to work with her to figure things out, but that was easier said than done, but he'd figured trying not to resist was a start.

With everything else going on in his life, his growing bond, his developing relationship with Beth was the main thing keeping him going, the thought of finally seeing her in person, having this dream woman in front of him the light at the end of the tunnel.

Some mornings he'd find himself waking up before her, still wrapped in his arms, hair a tangled mess, shirt sliding off her shoulder. Daryl chuckled to himself, pulling her closer to his chest, inhaling her scent. Whatever cosmic wonders granted him this woman, he was eternally grateful. Sure, still weary of the origin of this gift, he'd do anything to make sure such a precious mystery never left his grip, if that was what she wanted.

Taking in every inch of her, he tries to memorize the contours of her body. Her shapely legs, narrow hips, the swell of her breasts beneath the loose top. So badly he wants to run his fingers along all of these places. Across her slender chest and shoulders, gorgeous delicate collarbone he would die to slide his lips upon, landing in the hollow of her neck.

 _Fuckin' beautiful, girl,_ he thinks to her, feeling the fullness of their hearts beating in synchronization, this strange, unusual sensation filling him up so completely. _Don't know why the fuck ya want anything to do with me but I'm sure as hell glad ya do._

He hopes, god, he hopes she'll want to feel this close to him in person and not run for the hills the second she sees the whites of his eyes. The second this all becomes a reality and not some exciting adventure for her - a novelty, the bad boy, older redneck man. But he knows that isn't Beth, he knows deep down that she sees him for who he really is, to the point where he's not even sure sometimes how she could be real. So clearly looking through him, so easily accepting him for every flaw.

These growing feelings have not been defined, and he doesn't want them to be, doesn't want the ticking time bomb to go off inside their heads. The thing that ignites and leaves Beth asking questions, making demands and ultimatums, wondering what he wants from her. Daryl knows enough about women to know that Beth would want these things, answers to never ending questions, knows enough to know that the way she looks at him, the glint in her eyes and the sway of her hips is just for him.

Sure enough, Daryl had it bad. And he knew it.

And he knew, chances were good that Beth did too.

Beth had never been sure about the idea of soul-mates before, but now she was almost certain they had to exist.

There was nothing about Daryl that screamed run-of-the-mill fairy tale, but the things that had transpired were leading her to believe otherwise. The affinity they had for one another was undeniable, unlike anything she had ever known.

She could feel him trying, reaching out for her, cherishing their time alone together at night, the stress of their lives falling away. Evenings leaving them the chance to be wrapped around one another, insecurities and problems no longer important, only their bond, their feelings significant in those moments.

No longer pushing her away, that tugging feeling gone, his honesty up front despite his past, despite his wary disposition, he _was_ trying.

But she did want more, that seemed to be the problem. He did try, but these growing feelings, these growing powers left her wanting more and more of him. Every vision, every dream and new piece of information about him another relic of her never ending mental collection of Daryl. Some of these things were more of a reminder, somehow not seeing or hearing them for the first time, she knew of them. A sense of deja vu, strange and so vaguely familiar.

Beth wanted to chalk these these feelings up to the growing infatuation, the need to be closer to Daryl, but at the same time she wondered if it had something to do with their bond.

More than ever she found herself growing more and more attracted to him with each passing day, the vision of his face leaving her chest swelling, knees weak, mouth dry.

His gritty laugh echoing in her skull, that sly grin flip flopping her stomach a mile a minute, she was sure he'd have to feel that too. Those butterflies ready to fly right out of her mouth with the next word or laugh, giving away her feelings then and there.

But why hold back? She'd often asked herself, wanting so badly to throwing herself head first into the endless, unsure abyss of whatever _this_ was.

Those nights she'd laid awake, fingers running over his skin like a phantom, buzzing through her flesh to his, closing her eyes almost painfully as the goosebumps erupted, Beth had wanted so bad to lean over and place a kiss on his cheek, his neck, maybe even his lips?

As strange, as unusual as their brand of touch felt, what would it be like to kiss his lips? If he at all would let her, which Beth was almost certain he wouldn't.

As long as it took him to not shy away from her touch, Beth was sure if he rejected a kiss, things might be too far damaged to repair. But still, she wondered.

Was that something they were able to do? Not that she was even sure how to bring something like that up to him. If he'd ever learned to block her out, that would be the time to do it.

Throughout the day, she tries to keep her mind from him, but often it wanders, quietly tapping in to check on him at work or meeting with Bob. Trying to keep on the outskirts of his consciousness, she says nothing, admiring his features. His skin tanned from hours of hunting in the Georgia heat, arms toned from years of working his crossbow, shoulders broad and strong.

Not wanting to indulge any more information to Lori or tell Maggie that she's interested in someone, Beth is a little isolated in her feelings. With no one to confide in, to ask advice for, how could she pursue them?

A couple times a month, Savannah had an outdoor art walk Maggie would sometimes rope her into going, Glenn and Shawn in tow, making fun of everything in sight, drinking their fair share of free wine. Not having many friends didn't really matter to Beth as much, having such close siblings, Maggie and Shawn always being there for her. Beth knew a lot of people weren't as lucky to have that. And now, with Glenn, she felt even more fortunate to have such a protective goof of a brother-in-law.

That night she'd curled her hair in the bathroom mirror, Daryl watching on, shaking his head and laughing at her for the girly ritual. Of course he'd stayed quiet when she'd finished getting dressed, his eyes dark, biting at his thumbnail. Although he hadn't said it, and they'd been working on the non-verbal communication but she could not hear him, Beth could feel the pang of jealousy in his stomach.

He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. "Hope yer brother keeps a close eye on ya tonight. Don't want any assholes pestering' ya."

Beth grinned back at him, pulling a light sweater from her closet. "Too bad I don't have my own personal body guard here, huh? He'd make sure nobody ever bothered me."

Daryl nods back, lost in thoughts he does not share with her. Only there is no tugging, no lingering questions, the thin membrane of communication ready to burst, ready to rip open spilling their awareness over one another's.

The art walk had been fun for the first portion of the evening, Beth and Maggie breaking away from the guys to take a look at some boutiques across from the gallery where they'd started.

They'd wandered around for a while, each trying on a couple of different outfits with no luck. Maggie ending up with a couple of new bracelets, jewelry her weakness. Beth had always laughed at her sister for this, being such a plain jane in comparison, opting for something more simple like the silver heart she wore around her neck.

Meeting back up with the guys, an older woman stopped Beth just as she stepped up on the curb, putting her hands on both of her shoulders, startling she and Maggie both.

Her eyes were a cold, icy blue, wild and wide, face a worn map of wrinkles, the ones around her mouth upturned in a smile. In so many words, this woman looked like someone from a fairy tale, a witch, a sorceress or siren. Beautiful and strange, free and peculiar, Beth felt drawn to this woman.

"Your aura, sweetheart," she says in a voice so clear, it's almost shrill, stopping Beth dead in her tracks, bringing tears to her eyes immediately, "is so thick and so almost _translucent,_ I can see everything and everyone reflecting back on you."

Beth nods her head, unable to respond as Maggie grabs her hand to pull her away from this woman.

"Listen lady, we don't want a reading-"

"He _is_ getting stronger. Make him feel it, he will see it," the woman says, letting go of Beth.

The woman walks away, turning back to look at her a few times, winking the last time, leaving her standing there in one place, completely blown away.

Overwhelmed, tears streaming down her face, she holds onto her sister tightly.

"What did she say? Why are you so upset?"

Beth pulls back from Maggie, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands.

"I, um, that stuff always gets me, you know? Fortune tellers, psychics, all that stuff," she laughs, turning to face her brother and Glenn.

"I think she just meant you had a parasitic twin, Beth. We had him removed when you were a toddler because he was affecting your vision," Shawn teases, wrapping his arm around the other side of her as Maggie had done.

"That lady was full of shit," Maggie says pulling away and looping arms with Glenn as they continue to walk down the street.

"Yeah, that's for sure."

Beth doesn't say anything, quiet for the remainder of the walk back to the car, thoughts lost with what the woman had said. She knew he was close, but how could she make him see that?

Beth lays in bed that night, hair still wet from the shower, fingers running through the knots she'd missed with the brush.

 _God, how can someone that handsome not be married?_ she thought to herself, feeling the last glass of wine buzzing in her head.

Daryl hadn't pushed through yet and she was waiting for him, not wanting to intrude on anything. Regardless of anything and everything, that was the one thing she'd come back to.

How was it someone as genuine and sincere, as down right breathtakingly handsome as Daryl could not at least have a girlfriend?

Still feeling overwhelmed by the advice given to her from the woman on the street, she's not sure how to approach the situation, wanting so badly to make her feelings known to him. Knowing now that they are concrete in her soul, Daryl a permanent fixture in every organ of her body, heart and mind alike.

 _I ain't married 'cause I never been with anybody long enough to make a decision that stupid,_ Daryl chimes in gruffly.

"Daryl!" Beth shrieks, jumping up from bed, so wrapped up, so transfixed on her thoughts that she hadn't even realized they weren't speaking out out. "Do that again!"

"Do what?" he grumbles, sitting up in his bed, still in his dirty work clothes, boots and socks crumpled on the floor.

"Think! I heard you!"

He rolls his eyes, chuckling and lays back down.

 _Wasn't spyin' on ya, started to drift off and I heard ya,_ he says awkwardly.

 _It's true,_ Beth grins, so proud of their new breakthrough, buzzing with excitement. _I think you're one of the most handsome men I've ever seen in my life._

 _Now you're just tryin' to flatter me, girl. Could say the same to you, couldn't I? Drop dead gorgeous and ya ain't got a boyfriend or husband neither. 'S a damn shame._

 _Nah, I don't know,_ she laughs, covering her mouth, feeling weird having this conversation at all, let alone without saying it out loud. _When I was a little girl, I always dreamed I'd grow up and meet this great adventurer and we'd travel the world together, you know?_

 _That 'cause yer daddy always kept ya so close to home?_ he asks quietly, watching her closely, his other senses becoming heightened as well, Beth crystal clear in front of him.

 _Probably,_ Beth shrugs, looking up to meet his gaze.

She wants to badly to reach out and grab him, to let her hands linger and fingers explore his body, envisioning already in her mind, knowing what lies beneath his soiled work shirt. Underneath the oil and grime, the sweat and dirt, the layers of messy and complicated parts of him that she loves, she parts that he doesn't try to cover or hide from her quite as much as he once did.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Daryl says out loud, then clearing his voice awkwardly.

"Yeah."

"Beth?"

Beth turns away from him, quickly pulling off her robe and slipping and nightgown over her head. Daryl doesn't say another word, eyes surely on her naked back. Although it was only her back, she knew he wouldn't have been happy with that.

"Beth?" he says again, his tone different, one she can't exactly place.

"Go wash up, Daryl. I want to talk to you afterwards."

Laying down on her side, she watches him leave, closing her eyes, figuring out how she'll gather the strength to confess her thoughts once and for all.

"Ya ain't been pullin' or anything," Daryl grumbles, hanging up his wet towel.

"That's because I'm not lying," she says flatly, her doe eyes looking up at him, lashes as long as ever, kissing her cheeks gently when she blinks.

He's pretty sure he's never seen anyone in his life with eyelashes as naturally long as Beth's are. Sometimes he thinks it must be painful for her to try to keep them up all day, as long and full as they look.

"C'mere," she coaxes, encouraging him to crawl beside her like they do every night.

As if it's clockwork, as if it's something he's not scared to do, he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her close to his chest, tucking her head beneath his.

"I want-" she whispers, already struggling to explain herself through the tears that begin to form, "I want to feel you, Daryl."

"What do ya mean?" he asks, wanting so badly for these things to come to him more easily, already feeling as though he's her hurt.

"I want to feel all of you," she says, turning to face, him, running her fingers over his chest.

" _Beth,"_ he whispers, taking her hand in his. "Don't think ya know what yer askin' me. This ain't somethin' we can do so easily, ya know."

"I need to feel closer to you, I need-"

His lips crash into hers before she can finish and it's unlike anything she's ever experienced in her entire life. Rough and coarse, his beard scratching against the delicate porcelain of her own skin, his lips so much more gentle, more firm and supple than she ever could have imagined. There is a spark there, something smoldering and sultry, lying underneath his lips, that burning heat she can feel so low inside herself, mirroring Daryl entirely.

When he pulls back a moment later, he cups her small face in his large, callous hands, brushing her cheek delicately, eyes transfixed on her face, looking somehow scared but content all at the same time.

"Ya know this is weird, don't ya? _So_ fuckin' weird," he laughs, kissing her again softly.

"I don't know why we're able to do this but I'm glad we are."

Beth lets out a deep sigh, kissing the spot under his earlobe, resulting in a moan.

"Don't know how yer able to do _that_ either, but I'm definitely glad."

Beth wriggles happily in his lap, trying to get him closer to her, nuzzling into his chest, she inhales his scent, now clean and fresh and so completely hers. Or at least she hops he is.

 _Maybe some day if I play my cards right I'll be lucky enough to end up with you, girl,_ he thinks, expertly reading her thoughts without missing a beat.

 _I want you, Daryl Dixon. Every thought, every emotion, every breath. I want it all,_ she thinks happily, so utterly wrapped up in the bliss of this moment.

 _Only gonna say this once and if ya tell me otherwise, I'll never mention it again. Too fuckin' old fer ya, not good enough fer ya and ya know I feel that way,_ he thinks solemnly, wrapping a few locks of her almost dry hair around his fingers.

 _None of that is true but you know what? Don't matter, and you know why?_ she asks, not looking at him, eyes transfixed down at her lap. _Don't matter because this is fate, Daryl. Me and you? This isn't something you get to run from anymore._

He takes a moment to let her words really sink in, something about her non-verbal voice sticks to him, more mature, more wise in a way he had known Beth to be, but there in his head, her words were saturated with understanding.

He nods and doesn't say another word, letting her words solidify, become at real as he knows he must be because anything in this world as good and pure as Beth had to exist.

Before sleep takes them both, she shifts to turn his face to his, illuminated in the moonlight, Daryl swears he's never in his life seen a more beautiful sight. In the full Georgia moon, he can see every pore, every tiny piece of peach fuzz on her neck and shoulders. Every freckle and mole, every piece of her that makes up this wondrous, glorious woman he still can't believe is real.

"How much longer?" she whispers, abandoning non-verbal communication, her voice coming back to her own.

"Till what?"

"Until you come see me!" Beth smirks, pulling herself closer to his chest.

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe a couple weeks?"

"Really? A couple of weeks? You keep saying that. Next weekend! Ride down and come see me for real!"

There it was - the ticking time bomb. The kiss. She'd already wanted so much from him. Everything. His thoughts, his fears, his dreams and nightmares, his past. Beth really did want every piece of him. Not for selfish reasons, he knew, but never in his life had he experienced that kind of feeling.

That feeling of _wanting_ , that need to see and feel, to hear and touch him and Beth wanted all of that.

"Daryl?" she whispers, gliding her fingers across his chest.

"Yeah, guess I can try to come down next weekend or the one after, okay? Just depends on work and Merle is all," he chokes out, giving her a weak grin.

"Don't be scared because I know I'm not," Beth says in his ear, his breath almost hot against his skin. "Tell me you're not dying to see me in the flesh, huh?"

"Nah, I am," he grins, giving her that nervous smile.

"I won't bite ya, I swear," she teases, "but I'm crawling out of my skin waitin' to get close to you, Daryl."

"We'll figure it out, darlin," Daryl says, pulling her closer to him, sleep looming not far behind. "One day at a time."


	13. Chapter 13

_Daryl?_ she thought out as she got the baby's morning bottle ready. _Do you think there's other people out there in the world like us? People who can hear each other too?_

 _Shit, girl,_ he laughed that gritty chuckle, sending a shiver up her spine. _Seems to me ya know more 'bout most of this shit than I do, but I guess there could be._

 _There has to be,_ Beth thought. What she wanted to tell him was that she thought it was more than that. That they were soul mates and she believed they were destined for something bigger together but considering Daryl had only reciprocated his feelings the night before, she didn't want to push him or make him feel overwhelmed.

He blushed a little, eyes darting away from her quickly, back to the car he was working on.

 _Heard all of that. Slippin' on these 'strong powers' ya keep talkin' 'bout,_ he teased.

Beth went back to Judith, handing the baby her bottle.

 _Maybe you're getting stronger now that you've quit resisting me all the time,_ she shot back, flashing him a toothy smile.

 _Girl, if I weren't covered in motor oil right now,_ Daryl thought shaking his head, face still crimson red.

"You alright, Daryl?" Aaron asked, putting a hand on Daryl's shoulder, causing him to flinch. "Your face is looking a little red."

"I'm fine," he grumbled, "it's just hot as shit in here."

Beth chuckled at him, sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery to work on some crocheting she'd started.

"Turn the other fan on," Aaron laughed, giving his friend a strange look.

"You do it," Daryl scowled.

 _Shush, girl,_ he thought, wishing he could reach out to pinch her shoulder, maybe rub a little grease on her nose.

Never in his life had he ever felt this way towards a woman, towards anyone and here was Beth turning him into a mushy mess after only a few kisses.

 _Let yourself feel it,_ she reminded him, as she so often did of so many things, his feelings being most important to her. _Every second I get to feel this with you, it's everything, Daryl._

Of course the night before hadn't been discussed in detail, but he'd hoped it didn't need to be. He'd told her how he'd felt, his insecurities laid out on the table and still she wanted him without any hesitation. As strange as that felt, Daryl wanted to learn to accept those feelings. To learn to let her into his heart as well as his head, as she'd always worn on hers on her sleeve, ready to give anything and everything to this man despite the strange situation at hand.

 _I want you, Daryl. No questions, no judgements, I feel it in my heart,_ she thought, her chest about to explode with the developing love the felt for this man. _Hell, I feel it everywhere, every fiber of my being tells me you and I are meant to be together._

Daryl sucks in a breath, feeling warmer than before. The sensation traveling through his chest, a wholeness so rich and pure, so complete it completely overwhelmed him. He knew then that these feelings weren't just Beth's - they were his too.

Grabbing the red bandana from the back pocket of his coveralls, Daryl wipes off his hands.

"I'm takin' a break," he declares, glancing towards Aaron working on the car beside him, nodding back at him.

Sitting down on the bench where he had once gone to smoke, Daryl sat there fumbling with his shaking hands.

 _Don't know how hard this shit is fer me,_ he thinks, shaking his head. _Feelin' like this fer ya fucks me up, Beth. Want to be with ya, but it's gotta be slow._

Beth gives him that soft, knowing smile, looking down at the yarn in her hands for a moment, biting her lip before she begins to speak.

 _The thing that worries me the most is scaring you away but sometimes these thoughts, these feelings can't be hidden, especially now. I feel everything for you and I can't hold that back. Not after last night._

 _I know,_ he thinks, looking down at his dirty work boots.

 _I wanted that so much, Daryl. More than anything I've ever wanted in this world. I know this isn't something that just happens, you and I. We're chosen for each other for whatever reason and there's no fighting that._

He had wanted it too, there was no denying that. Deep down, well not even deep down, she'd pulled everything so close to the surface it was getting harder and harder to hide anything from one another, that he wanted every piece of Beth just as much as she wanted of him. Asking for that, expressing those feelings was another story.

The kiss had been a start, but what now?

 _Shit is messy, complicated as hell, but yer worth it, darlin,_ he thought, wishing he'd had a cigarette in that moment purely for the sake of something to do with his hands.

 _But it doesn't have to be, Daryl,_ she pressed back, wishing she could show him how simple her feelings for him were, how sure she was of everything they'd already discovered together only further instilling her faith in their bond. _You and me? I'm pretty sure we can do anything together._

He laughs and her then, a true, genuine chuckle, shaking his head and laying back against the bench where he'd sat so many days before, looking up at the clear, blue sky, free of clouds.

Daryl didn't know how they'd come together, but thinking of a time before he knew her, before he knew who Beth was, felt like an eternity ago. Back when she was Alice - someone who existed only in dreams and nightmares, drug induced hazes. But none of those things were her, she was the opposite of that life, somewhere he'd never want to venture back to in the depths of their brains without her beside him.

 _Ya gotta a lot of hope, girl. A lot of faith. Don't know if I'll ever understand it, but I appreciate ya fer it none the less._

 _I've got enough for the both of us, but I'm pretty confident you'll come around in time,_ Beth smirks.

It was hard not to feel that infectious hope, filling his veins, his heart, fueling and propelling him forward in time, everything now becoming for her, too. The picture was becoming pretty clear to Daryl now and he wanted wholeheartedly to embrace everything they'd already created, already figured out together.

Beth got home from work that afternoon feeling the summer heat wearing her down, the iced coffee she'd made at the Grimes' not sticking with her as she'd hoped. Judith had been good that day for the most part, aside from a minor meltdown at the park when having to wait her turn for the swing set.

Pouring herself a cool glass of ice water, she relished the liquid sliding down her parched throat. It was strange, in the weeks that their bond grew stronger, Beth felt all of her senses growing stronger. Everything felt, _more so._

Sounds were louder, sharper, buzzing and ringing through her ears like a swarm of cicadas. Her vision clear as it had ever been, both in her own mind and Daryl's. Every touch electrifying, his hands solid and firm, weaving this cocoon of safety and strength around her.

Everything about Daryl was presented to her whether he wanted to show it to her or not, his intentions, his tender feelings for her obvious despite his need to pull away. But now she knew that he was ready to fully submit to her, things were coming full circle.

"Bethy?" Hershel said softly, breaking Beth's train of thought, lost in the glass gripped firmly in her hand.

"Hi, Daddy," she responded giving him a sweet smile.

Setting the glass down on the counter, she made her way over to her father to give him a peck on the cheek.

"You look tired today, sweetheart," he said warily, taking her hand in his, squeezing it gently.

Beth loved her father more than any person in the universe, no hardship against anyone else in her family, but from the moment she was born, she'd always been a daddy's girl, the apple of her father's eye.

"Are you drinking enough water? I worry about you in this heat. Rick really needs to get it together and get a better air conditioning unit put in that house. Shouldn't have you and that poor baby sweating day in and day out."

"Daddy, I'm fine," Beth says, wrapping her arms around his in a gentle hug. "It's just been a long day and I need some rest."

"If you ever want to leave this job, honey - I'm sure Rick and Lori could find someone else. You could always come back and work at the veterinary clinic."

"No, I'm happy being with Judith. Honestly, Daddy, it's very rewarding. I'm just tired," she assured him.

"You know there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you, Beth. If you wanted to start up classes again, we could figure something out."

Beth nods her head, giving her father another tight hug.

"Maybe next semester, I'll think about it," she says, pulling away to walk back up the stairs.

"Beth," he calls out, handing her the glass of water. "Gotta keep you hydrated."

He gives her that same sweet, concerning smile she's seen her whole life and it melts her heart.

"Thank you, Daddy."

"Hold on, there's one more thing."

She turns back to face him at the bottom of the stairs, taking another drink of water.

"Your mother and I are going to a machinery auction out in Macon this weekend. Glenn and Maggie will be staying with you," Hershel tells her, narrowing his eyes for a moment. "I trust you'll behave yourself?"

"Don't I always?"

"It's my job to remind you, isn't it?" he chuckles, settling down at the kitchen table with a book in hand.

"Uh-huh and you never let me forget it," she mumbles, rolling her eyes at him. "Do I have to remind you that I'll be twenty-one pretty soon?"

"No, actually I'd prefer you not."

Beth gives him another placid glare before heading upstairs to take a nap, ready for some stillness in her mind for the first time in what feels like forever.

That evening Maggie and Glenn go out to the bar, much to Beth's dismay, who was hoping to spend some time with her sister and brother-in-law.

"Not my fault you're not twenty-one yet," Glenn teased, poking her in the side as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't even care about drinking!" she quipped, "Forgive me for wanting to spend quality time with my family."

"Oh whatever, Beth," Maggie laughed. "You act like we're leaving you here alone forever. No wonder Daddy babies you so much."

"Why can't Shawn stay, at least?" she pouted, sitting down at the kitchen table beside Maggie.

"Because Shawn doesn't get out enough and he needs to see the light of day for once in his nerdy life," Glenn tells her, taking a bottle of whiskey from the freezer.

He sets it down on the table in front of her hard along with two shot glasses and shoots her a wicked grin.

"But that doesn't mean you can't pregame with us," Glenn says, pouring the shots for she and Maggie.

"Really? You guys are gonna get me drunk and leave me here? That isn't exactly what I'd call a good chaperone," Beth scoffs back at him.

"Chaser, please?" Maggie asks him, reaching out her hand.

Retreating from the fridge with a bottle of two cokes in hand along with cups.

"Alright, alright. Let's get on with it so I can have mine," he says, rubbing his hands together as they pour their cokes.

"Ohh, look at miss priss taking a shot!" Shawn hoots as he comes down the stairs, clapping his hands in excitement.

"Jeez!" Beth laughs, "Talk about peer pressure! You guys are relentless!"

Maggie picks up the shot glass in one hand and the glass of soda in the other, instructing Beth.

"Okay, so you take a tiny sip of the coke, then take the shot. Swallow it, take a another sip. It'll help, I promise."

"Oh god," she winces, making a face. "This is gonna be awful. I already know it."

Glenn and Shawn both cackle in unison at Beth's reaction before she's even drank anything, faces red with laughter.

"C'mon, take it already!"

"Okay, okay!"

"One, two…" Maggie says, smiling widely at her sister, "three!"

They do as she'd instructed, the amber liquid burning down her throat, the soda doing little to soothe the disgusting taste left in her mouth, coating her insides.

"That was awful," she says, wiping her mouth.

"Give it here!" Glenn says, pouring some for he and Shawn.

They continue on for a while, taking several more shots, coaxing Beth into two more somehow, feeling the same effect she had before with Daryl and the beer, only this was more so - leaving her body feeling hazy and loose. She was sure as soon as she stood up the effects would really come into view, along with the powers at hand, anything that would inhibit her normally was felt with full force.

"What did you think? Your first drink wasn't so bad, right?" Maggie asks her, eyes glassy already.

"No, it wasn't terrible after the second one, I guess," she laughs, resting her hand underneath her chin.

"You did great, Beth," Glenn tells her, "My first shot, I puked right afterwards. My friends didn't let me live it down for months. Years, really."

"Yeah, we'll see if she keeps it down for the night," Shawn laughs. "Then I'll be impressed."

"Oh please," Maggie says, "you barely drink, Shawn. You're more of a lightweight than Beth is and that was her first drink."

"Yeah, yeah. Not my fault I'm slender in disposition," Shawn says in mocking tone, pouring himself another drink.

"Alright, let's get going!" Glenn says, slipping his arms around Maggie's waste.

"You gonna be okay, Beth?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, probably gonna read or crochet, go to bed early."

"Jesus, are you gonna be twenty-one or eighty-one, Beth?" Shawn teased.

"Shut up!" she shot back, smacking his arm.

"Whatever you do, just lock up all the doors, alright? I'll text you when we leave the bar," Maggie tells her, pulling away from Glenn to give her sister a kiss on top of her head before heading out.

"I'll be fine, don't worry," she tells them as she watches them leave, getting up to lock the door behind them.

In all honesty, she was relieved to have this time alone to reflect on the night before, on the kiss with Daryl. Everything felt so raw, so fresh in her mind, waking up that morning with his taste still on her lips, stained into her memory along with every other piece of him.

How badly she wanted to do that again, both in their own way and hopefully soon in person. The last thing Beth wanted to do was scare him away, but these newfound feelings were so overwhelming, so exciting, that she couldn't help herself from getting wrapped up in them already.

Making her way upstairs to her bedroom, Beth starts to hone in on him, the tunnel vision a thing of the past, his world clearly laid over hers like a translucent sheet of film, a view master of sorts, far more complicated than that of course.

Daryl sat at his kitchen table, finishing up a bowl of off brand cereal, the tired look in his eyes as deep as Beth's had been, the week wearing down on them both.

 _Hey, you,_ she thinks, pushing through fully, everything coming into view.

"Don't gotta do that. Merle ain't here," he tells her, taking another bite.

"Oh, is he at a meeting?"

"Yeah, meetin' with Bob and a potential sponsor," Daryl mumbles with a mouth full of food.

"How come you ain't goin'?" she asks him, flopping down on her bed, stomach first, propping her hands under her chin.

"Don't gotta go to everything, do I?" he shrugs.

"No, I guess not."

He looks down at his empty bowl, scowling still and she feels bad for prying, wondering if she should leave him alone. The thought hadn't occurred to her before but maybe Daryl wasn't interested in spending all his free time alone with her. Maybe with everything going on with Merle, the stress from work, he needed some time to himself. That she could understand.

"Beth," he says sternly, looking at her with a sense of tenderness in his voice, his face softening at her ponderings. "I'm just tired, don't mean I don't wanna be around ya."

Giving her a weak smile, he gets up from the table, rinsing his bowl then stopping to turn around, rubbing his face. Closing his eyes, he lays his head back against the cabinet. He'd already changed out of his work clothes, donning a plain black t-shirt and a pair of jeans, his feet barefoot. The pure, rugged beauty of this man often sent her head spinning, but something about the alcohol in her system with a mixture of desire, the eagerness inside her to continue what they had started the night before festering inside her, waiting on act on impulse - on genuine passion and want.

"I'm sorry, I-" she starts and stops, laughing and shaking her head, the alcohol very evident in her head now. "Glenn and Maggie made me drink some whiskey earlier and I'm feeling a little out of it."

He looks up at her then, lips pulled back into a grin. "Thought ya were savin' yer first proper drink fer me, huh?"

"I felt like it was payback for those three beers," she teases, rolling over to lay on her back, the vision of Daryl moving right along with her.

"Oh, okay. I get ya now. Got any more of that? 'Cause I'm not feelin' much yet."

"Really? I took three shots!"

"Go on, take another," he dares, eyes flashing brilliant, deep denim blue that sent her heart racing.

Beth scrambles from the bed, going back downstairs to retrieve the bottle and a can of soda from the fridge.

"Okay," she says, pouring the alcohol as she had seen the others do earlier.

"Atta girl," Daryl growls, watching her carefully.

She takes a sip of the drink, quickly tilting her head back as she takes the shot, letting herself feel the burn this time, almost as hot as the feeling of his gaze on her. Different from the night before, or any other time for that matter - obviously reflecting on what she'd been pondering.

The woman at the art show, the witch - whoever she was, had been right about Daryl, she could tell that he was getting stronger, sensing her feelings and emotions with more vigor than she had initially expected, finding herself to be more apt with their powers, but now it was seeming as if the scales were tipping.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she pushes through harder, feeling a flash of heat deep in her belly, different from the alcohol, not unlike butterflies, only this was much more intense, prickling all over her body, this need for him becoming more apparent, growing with every passing second. Fluttering her lashes open, she looks at him with a steady gaze, wanting so badly to reach out, to touch him, to feel everything and anything he'd be willing to share with her.

"Gotta wait a while before I take another one," Beth huffs, putting her hands to her face, feeling the warmth of her cheeks.

"I was only fuckin' with ya before, felt it as soon as ya took the first shot," he smirks. "Saw ya in the kitchen, too."

"Daryl Dixon! You sneak!" she squeals with laughter.

"Hey, I know you do it sometimes too, ain't my fault."

"We don't got any rules, you know, and I'm alright with keeping things loose for now, but ya better not be a sneak," Beth grumbles, laying back down on the bed.

He sits on the couch, propping his feet up on the small coffee table, hands intertwined behind his head.

"Just fuckin' with ya, darlin," Daryl chuckles, closing his eyes again. "ain't mad about it. Not like I'm allowed any booze in the house. Your contact buzz will have to do for now."

"You call this a buzz? I'd say I'm already halfway there."

"You'll be there in no time," Daryl says, letting out a deep breath.

Slowly she can feel his body relaxing, the tension of his muscles melting away as the whiskey begins to take effect on him as well, drowning out any sense of worry or restlessness. Only he and Beth left in their little world, their little bubble to enjoy within each other.

She reaches out for him then, slipping into his side, one hand on his chest along with her head, nuzzling into him as she normally does, the other hand on his leg, finding the comforting she'd been seeking.

"Mmmm," he mumbles, wrapping his arms around her, dipping his head down to take in the scent of her hair.

Running his hands up and down her arms in small circles, Daryl feels himself still so unsettled, unsure in these feelings, on the edge of something new but also something so scary and different, unlike any other woman he's ever known. This brand of touch, this type of ability unlike anything either of them have ever experienced. With not only the touching, but the kissing, it couldn't help but leave him wondering what other physical abilities they harbored. Was telepathic sex an actual possibility, if it so came to that?

Not wanting to think too far into this, he quickly blocks it out, honing in on the contentedness of her disposition, soaking up her energy, bleeding it into his own. Succumbing to her, he was coming to realize, was becoming easier and easier, lulling him into a feeling of utter comfort and ultimately, love.

Lifting her head up, she meets his eyes for a moment, studying his face, stopping to stare at his lips before pressing her own against them softly, painfully long lashes brushing against his cheeks.

Daryl returns the kiss with gentle pressure, tangling his hands in her hair, free and loose, no braid to keep it up, wild and unrestricted, not unlike the way she made him feel in this very moment.

The second he feels her tongue slide across his lips, begging for access, he moans, gently lapping against it, exploring her fully, pulling her small, lithe body against his own large, sturdy frame. And they meld together, into one wild thing, limbs intertwining without caution, all inhibitions thrown to the wind know, the alcohol blotting out any nervousness, all emotion taking over.

Beth pulls back first, gasping for breath, stopping only to bury her face in the crook of his neck, kissing him there feverishly, gulping hard, feeling her nerves coming to her surface, dissipating with every press of her lips to his skin.

" _Beth,"_ he breathes out shakily, hands at her hips, kneading the flesh just under her shirt, carefully inching upwards towards the small of her back.

Continuing to place a trail of sloppy kisses up his neck, to his jaw and eventually back to his lips, Beth finds herself frantic, not able to get herself close enough to him. She wonders if the bond keeps her from fully being able to touch him the way she wants to, to get under his skin and feel everything the way she's burning inside to do so.

" _Beth,"_ he says again, "slow down, girl, this ain't a race."

She pulls away, eyes lidded heavy with desire, lips red and swollen, only making him want to crash right back into her.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, putting her palms to her flushed cheeks, realizing she'd pulled herself into his lap, straddling him with her legs on either side on his hips.

"Don't gotta be sorry," he says softly, pulling a hand from her face to kiss it. Each finger delicately, her palms, her wrists, her knuckles, trailing up to her forearms, elbows and shoulders. Running the scruff of his beard along her skin, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

Slowly he lets the strap to her sleeve fall, her bra strap following along with it, using his index finger to pull it down a little more.

"Somethin' that feels this good has to be a dream," Beth breathes out, laughing a little.

"That's what ya think I am, huh? Figment of yer imagination?" he chuckles back, breath hot against her skin, lips over her collar one now, worshipping her ivory skin every chance he gets.

"No, just sayin' you're too good to be true. Or at least that's what I can't help but think sometimes."

"I thought yer the one who's supposed to be all full of hope and faith and shit," he mumbles, continuing his assault on her other shoulder.

"I do, but I'm saying that if this feels good, when we see each other in person, we'll probably both fall down dead," Beth laughs, scratching her snails against his scalp, taking a firstful of his shaggy hair.

He doesn't say anything back but Beth hopes it doesn't make him uncomfortable, pushing him to come see her again. She wants this to be enough, this touch to satisfy the growing craving inside of her, but she knows that it's not likely.

Feeling him growing hard against her leg, she feels her own arousal growing with every passing moment. The thin material of her shirt and unpadded bra pressing up against him, nipples hard and taut, almost painfully so. Pressing herself harder against him, grinding her hips into his, Daryl lets out that low grown again, leaving the heat pooling between her thighs with every buck.

" _Fuck,"_ he moans, closing his eyes closed so hard it looks painful. Because he is, in pain - she knows and she can feel it in a strange way, this need, this arousal flowing over them both in ten fold, overwhelming all other senses.

Snaking a hand from behind his head, she toys with the clasp of her bra, desperate to free herself from the painful confines.

"Whoa, what are ya doin?" he asks, putting a hand on her arm cautiously.

"You don't," she stammers, pulling her hands out from underneath her shirt, "you don't want this? I thought I could feel you and-"

"Beth, no," Daryl says pulling her to him. "I wanna take things slow. Wanna do this right. Can't be like this, darlin. I want to be with you in person, not like this."

She nods her head, giving him that knowing smile. "I can't help myself sometimes, I," Beth laughs again, cheeks red, "crave you so much it scares me."

That sheepish grin paints his face and he kisses her again, soulfully, those lips beckoning her.

"Don't mean we can't touch," he whispers in her ear, kissing her earlobe softly, "explore."

And they do, running their hands all over each other's bodies, up and down inside his shirt, along his scars and muscles, every part of him fueling her to go further, losing herself in his touch. Daryl's hands unclasping her bra, slowly lifting her shirt over her head, halting to gaze at the sight before him, the beauty of her milky flesh that he'd only recently felt not too ashamed to wonder about. The hard, rose colored peaks begging to be touched, kissed and caressed.

And so he did, fingers gliding over her skin, index and thumb tugging gently at them both, chuckling as she winces in pleasure, throwing her head back. He takes both of her breasts into his hands, gently yet firmly gripping them, his touchy needy and desperate, just as hers has been.

"There's nothing more beautiful in this whole fuckin' world than you, Beth. Known that since the second I saw ya, even before I knew who ya were, knew ya were real," he breaths heavily in her ear.

"Daryl, I-" she struggles to find the words, so many different ones wanting to come out at the same time but she knows that he understands that, knows how she feels. "What I feel for you, it's bigger than the both of us."

And he faults for a moment, overcome with emotion, pulling them together tightly, foreheads touching, lids both heavy, Daryl swears her eyes are completely black now, all bled out, the bright blue disappearing. They stay like that for a long time, her hands lazily roaming along his back, not speaking, just soaking one another up.

Beth lets her hands roam further, eventually disposing of his shirt as well, pressing herself up against him. Skin to skin, chest to chest. Breathing in sync, hearts beating as one. No thoughts between them needed, all raw feelings out on the table.

For a while they stay that way, until sleep takes them, entangled in one another, hands and fingers lazily meandering across each other's naked skin, reveling in one another. And when sleep does come, they both go willingly, no dreams and visions awaiting them tonight, only the serenity of their ever growing connection cocooning them into a peaceful slumber.


	14. Chapter 14

Beth felt herself falling through the air suspended in space but still holding onto something, someone solid. _Daryl_.

A breeze blew past her face her loose hair flying in all directions. She would feel weightless if it weren't for her anchor. This was immensely different from what she had felt in other dreams with him when he was consciously at her side in some sense, even in a dream state.

Here he was there with her but in his own head and in this vision. She tried to push through to call out to him but felt no response or tug, _nothing_.

Trembling she brought her arms up to shake his shoulders to meet his face only to see his eyes closed peacefully, the illusion of a grin dancing on his lips. Where was he?

 _Daryl! Please, wake up!_ she tried desperately to cry out to him only resulting in a tightening around her waist and he pulled her closer to him but the sensation only became greater.

 _I got you, Beth,_ he mumbled and his eyes fluttered open slowly. Two tiny blue planets, cerulean neptunes that shone against the whites of his eyes.

 _Where are we going?_ she wondered pulling her face down to his chest as her stomach dropped.

She was sure that this would have to come to an end. Either they would wake up or hit the ground before Daryl would ever realize what was happening.

 _Just let yourself feel it, Beth._

The words echoed into her head over and over again until she felt a soft fluttering around her face gradually bringing her back to consciousness.

 _Beth, wake up,_ Daryl thought as he caressed her face, her cheeks, her chin. Trying to gently get her to wake up from the dream.

It had been foggy at first but slowly he began to feel it too, to hear Beth's pleas but Daryl knew that they were safe. Gradually her eyes fluttered open as she collected her surroundings recalling the night before. The sting in her head became stronger the more her eyes focused and adjusted to the light.

 _Ya hungover?_ Daryl smirked, tracing his fingers along her back still bare from the night before.

She'd forgotten her inhibitions had kind of gone out the window the night before but she didn't feel embarrassed being exposed to Daryl like that. He already knew her inside out.

Smiling at him meekly she nodded slowly trying to contain the blush rising from her cheeks to her chest.

"Ya alright, Beth?" He whispered softly out loud so he wouldn't wake up Merle.

"Yeah…" she started awkwardly trying to find her voice after a night of sleep. So often transitioning from thinking to speaking left her a little confused in the early morning hours. Even more so with alcohol in her system.

"Yer head hurt?" He asked in that crackly, gravely voice buzzing inside her head and out painfully but almost in a good way.

She nodded her head slowly touching her fingers to her temples. Not only did her head hurt but her stomach felt like a bottomless pit. This was much worse than the time Daryl had drank and she'd felt it the next day. An ache spread deep throughout her muscles all over her body.

"Everything hurts."

"Hit that stuff a little too hard I guess," he chuckled.

"Yeah," she huffed getting up from the bed to get dressed with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "Don't think I'll be interested in drinking when it comes time for my birthday after all."

"Nah, don't say that. Probably shouldn't have chosen whiskey for yer first drink is all."

"Not like I had much choice in the matter," Beth laughed as she slipped a loose sundress over her head.

Never had she felt so fortunate to be off work for the morning. Lori would need her for a couple hours in the afternoon but at least she'd have time to rest. Nursing a hangover and looking after a toddler didn't make for a winning combination.

"Guess Maggie could have picked somethin' worse then," he shrugged not making any effort to get up out of his own bed.

In turn her hangover was wearing on him in addition to the stress of everyday life. Merle had been keeping out of his hair the past few days and as much as he didn't want to wonder what his brother was doing, he found it better to welcome the little vacation.

"True. When she was in high school my parents caught her with a bottle of peach schnapps."

"Can't think of anything worse than that. I'm gonna get ya a real drink, darlin'. None of that shit."

The thought of him making plans and wanting to see her, whenever that would be, sent a flock of butterflies rumbling through her stomach. A feeling she held onto every time she could because she knew he could too.

"When?" Beth smiles at him blissfully not even caring about the mass of knots she's got snarling through her hair.

"Soon, Beth."

"Holding you to it, Dixon."

"Uh huh."

He continues to watch her get ready for the day and they talk idly about the dream from the night before. The sensation of falling together hadn't felt like anything he'd imagined skydiving could be like. Still somewhere in a deep slumber Daryl only felt her clinging to him and the air rushing past his body. It wasn't until he came to that he realized what was going on but he never felt and danger or any real threat. Subconsciously he knew the powers they harbored together would always keep them safe.

Every dream and every vision that came to him since their bond had strengthened only made him feel closer to her despite the physical distance. Whatever it was that was drawing them together could not wait much longer. He knew then that it wasn't just Beth who was eager to see him face to face, but the longer he thought of being apart from her made him antsy, restless.

Whatever this thing was, he still wasn't sure, all he could do was give into it.

Considering Merle hadn't been around the apartment much Daryl was pretty sure he was up to his old tricks but didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. He had picked up a few random jobs helping the handyman around the complex but nothing concrete yet and Bob was pressuring him to keep up the search. If he didn't find a job soon he'd be back in jail in no time. Not that Daryl cared much one way or another. Merle could make his bed and lay in it too, but that didn't mean he had to go dragging baby brother along with him. He'd had enough of his this shit. Years of it in fact and he'd be damned if Merle was going to fuck up again on his watch.

He had been going to one of the narcotics anonymous meetings at the church downtown or at least he had told Daryl that much. So he'd decided to wait around after the first meeting to take Merle to a couple of places around town to pick up some resumes. If a little encouragement didn't get him somewhere, he didn't know what would.

Slipping a lone cigarette out of his pocket Daryl marvels at the sleek, seductive look of something he'd once loved so much before. Now that he'd quick for a couple weeks it felt different. Insignificant in comparison to the vice he had now. _Beth_.

There was no way she could cross his mind without a smile forming on his lips. Not many people had been able to do that to him but she'd made things happen. Made him see and feel things he'd never known were possible and he couldn't get enough of it. Enough of her. How was it a girl he'd never seen in person could have him this smitten? That morning if she'd asked him to drive out to here then and there he would have done it. The pull she had on him was like nothing else he'd ever experience. Daryl was hooked.

The way her eyes cast on him, he could feel her gaze on every part of his body. When her eyes followed the lines of his body every hair stood on end electrifying his senses. Nothing about the way they felt, their certain unique brand of touch made any sense to him. Touching her in his mind, in a dream state felt like complete and total bliss. No part of him could question it because he could not fathom the power it held over him. Now that he had felt her in his arms and against his lips, there was no going back.

Taking a quick look at his cell phone Daryl notices the meeting should be up just about any minute but before he can get up and go look for his brother he hears the all too familiar hum of motorcycles in the distance. Only a few moments later Len and Joe rolled into the parking lot with the same shit eating grins they'd given Daryl that day at the shop. There was no doubt in his mind they were there for Merle.

"Hey there, baby brother!" Joe cackled loudly with the sound of his engine turning off. "Where's Merle at? Still inside boo-hooing?"

"Never thought I'd see him doing that huh?" Len interjected.

"People change," Daryl growled. "Or at least that's what I hear from his probation officer."

"That's right. We ain't gonna let anything happen to 'em. Gonna sting all them chips on a necklace so he can wear it around and everybody will know Merle Dixon is a changed man."

The heat rushing to Daryl's face was so intense he was sure he had to be beet red. He'd never been one to be able to hide his anger. They'd have to be total idiots to think he'd fall for this sham. Whatever Merle was up to, they were clearly involved.

"If y'all are so supportive, why aren't ya in there with him, huh?"

Joe picked the cigarette up off the bench that Daryl had pulled out earlier and put it between his cracked, grey lips.

"We've been to a couple of them, Daryl. Your brother didn't tell you? Even brought cookies to go with the coffee."

"No. Merle hasn't exactly been keeping me up to date on what he's been doin' recently so forgive me if I'm not in the know," Daryl narrowed his eyes at both the men as a warning. They'd threatened him before and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

"Well no worries there, son. We'll make sure to let you know what old Merle is up to, alright?" Joe shot him that slimy smile that made him want to tear him up right then and there but he knew he wasn't worth it. Not by a long shot.

"You pickin' him up then? 'Cause I was gonna take him to look fer a job."

"Sure thing, buddy," Len patted him on the back causing Daryl to draw back uncomfortably from the sudden contact.

"I got a couple of interview lined up for him, Daryl. Don't you worry."

Daryl started to inch his way back to the truck suddenly not caring one way or another whether or not Merle ended up back in jail.

"Sure, Joe. Just make sure Cinderella makes it home before curfew, alright?"

Slamming the door tightly the entire truck shakes and Daryl feels his anger seething throughout every part of his body. Only Beth is there whispering in his ear, his internal comfort. The soothing sound of her voice drowning out their laughter.

 _Just drive, Daryl,_ her breath tickles in his ear, _Go home, sweetheart. This isn't your battle to fight anymore._

"Don't worry, Darlene. We'll have Cinderelly home by the stroke of midnight."

Driving away from the church Daryl felt his anger melt away as she sang that song, the same sweet lullaby she sang to Judith so many nights ago. It didn't put him to sleep but it opened his eyes and so clearly showed him what lay in his future if Merle stuck around. Every part of her that was now equally a part of him a flag, a map indicating where to go.

By the time Beth had to get to work to watch Judith, Daryl was fast asleep. The exhaustion of the situation hitting him head on in addition to the hungover she'd given him had been too much to handle. The second he's walked in the door to his apartment he stumbled into his bedroom, collapsing on the bed, almost taking her down with him.

Having been able to talk him away from those frightening feelings from his past, the need to take care of Merle were still present in the back of his mind. Despite his brutish force and often ignorant perspective on his younger brother's life, some part of Merle had wanted happiness for his brother on his terms. That had never been what Daryl wanted. Cheap, easy money. Scamming everyone and anyone he could to make an extra buck was no kind of life he aspired for.

"He's not your responsibility anymore, Daryl," she pressed trying to make him see how free he truly was.

Merle was an anchor that may have held him down for most of his life but only he had the key to unlock it and walk away from it all.

"Don't ya think I wanna leave, Beth? They're cookin' or sellin'. Doin' somethin' for fuckin' sure. I can't fuckin' deal with this right now."

Hands balled into fists Daryl hit the bed over and over again. The anger, the rage, every blow hitting her knuckles with savage force.

" _Daryl_ , let it go. It's going to destroy you - destroy us both if you don't. You can't let him have this power over you."

The crystal blue of her eyes came into clear view and he could not deny the tears that brimmed there because they so clearly matched his own.

"I don't want this shit for either of us. I'm gettin' the fuck out of here as soon as I can, darlin'. Gonna make my way to you, okay? I promise."

He didn't realize how hard the two of them were shaking until he reached out to embrace her. Fistfulls of her golden hair tangled through his fingers, lips anxiously finding her purse to assure himself that she was real despite the doubt that lingered somewhere within the insecure man he feared he'd always be.

"Everything is going to be okay, Daryl," tears flow freely between them and she makes no efforts to wipe them away, only traces the line of his jaw, his trembling lips. "I carry you in my heart everywhere I go and I...I'd never let anything happen to you."

He lets out a laugh that makes him choke back the tears because in the time he's known her, known her for real, she's been willing to fight for him more times than Merle ever did.

"I'm gonna get there real soon, darlin'. Get all this shit figured out and I'll come to you. I…" he chokes out. "I don't know for how long but I need to see you. Okay?"

She nods kissing every part of his face, the salt of their tears meshing together as their minds have done so wholly. Beth wonders how it is they can become more submerged in one another than they already are.

"Sleep, Daryl. I have to go to work but you need to rest. Tonight we'll make a plan."

The warmth of her body leaving him doesn't leave him feeling lost but content. He thinks back to the sound of her voice enveloping him and falls into a deep slumber.

Arriving at work Beth tries to channel her energy into helping Lori clean the house while Judith takes her afternoon nap but all thoughts drift back to Daryl. The need to keep him close and protected was becoming stronger and stronger all the time but now that things were becoming serious with the situation surrounding Merle her feelings were becoming frantic.

He had already been through so much in his life and now Merle carelessly dragged him through another disaster as if it didn't even phase him. If Daryl didn't get out of that situation, hopefully for good something bad was bound to happen.

"You alright?" Lori nods in her direction tossing Beth a magic eraser to scrub at the artwork Judith had created that morning while Rick wasn't paying attention. "I told Rick she's too young for crayons. Normally she eats them but now she's learned to actually color with them. Only not on paper."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Up late with that older man of yours?"

"Um, something like that," Beth blushed furiously covering her mouth with her hand.

"How are things going with that?" She smirked setting down the glass cleaner to kneel on the floor where Beth was working.

"Really, really good," she gushed excitedly. Being able to tell someone about Daryl even without specifics was something she'd been dying to do. "Also really, really complicated at the same time."

"Because of the age difference?"

"No," she shrugged not really even thinking about that. It seemed silly in comparison to all the other things they had to deal with. "He doesn't live here in town and he's trying to come see me soon but I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin."

"Honey," Lori rubbed her back sympathetically. "There's no one in town you'd rather spend time with? Long distance is hard."

She had to hold back a snort at that. Long distance was an understatement. Having him so close yet so far away, dangling in front of her was agony. Having him and not having him was exquisite torture.

"No, he's different. I can't explain it but it's what I want."

"So the distance is the only problem? You've had an easier time expressing your feelings to him?"

Together they started working on the crayon masterpiece which went all along the baseboards in various colors.

"It's hard to put my finger on it, you know? I want to make him see what kind of future we could have together here if he came to stay for good. I mean...that's what I really want."

"What would your parents do?"

Beth shrugged. It wasn't something she had put a whole amount of thought into because regardless what her parents thought Daryl wasn't going anywhere. As far as she knew he was in her mind for good. For the most part he always had been. Once in snippets and dreams to the man she'd come to quickly fall for without question.

"My daddy is fifteen years older than my mama. I suppose he'd get over it. Wouldn't he?"

Lori shot her a grin setting down the scrubber to wrap her arms around her.

"Hell yeah he will! You're almost twenty-one and if you want to run away with this mysterious dream man then he can't stop you," she pushed back a lock of loose hair behind Beth's ear. "Just don't stray too far because I'd hate to see you go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Beth laughed pulling away from the hug. "I just want him _here_."

"Well, when is he coming?"

"Soon, I hope. He's got to deal with some things with work before he can make the trip over. It's only a few hours but still."

"Even if you won't tell your dad about this I'm glad you told me, Beth."

The tears that had spilled from her eyes earlier begin to fall again and everything comes rushing back. The overwhelming feelings for Daryl flooding over her mind.

"I love him so much," Beth lets out a stifled sob. "I just want to know that when he gets here things will be okay."

"Of course they are, honey. We're going to back you up. Rick and I. We're always here for you. Since Judy was born you became a part of this family too, Beth. You're old enough to make your own choices and your father will see that in time. Enjoy this and love him without hesitation because life is too short."

Beth nodded her head wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. Lori had been right. The only way to fully embrace this bond was to face it full on and help him through anything they needed to face to be together.

Not surprised to find messages on the voicemail from Bob at home wondering how many job applications Merle had submitted that week, Daryl decided to leave them unanswered. Beth had been right. It was time to focus on what he wanted now and staying around was only going to put him in more danger. If he didn't end up fucking things up for himself the only other option was to get him into a halfway house or something. In the morning he promised himself he would call Bob back and figure it out. Find a way to get the fuck outta dodge and make his way to Beth.

Senoia was so close he could almost smell the Greene family farm. Images of Beth back when she had been Alice flashed through his mind. Merely a hazy glimpse of a hallucination back then he still marveled at her beauty. Running around barefoot without a care in the world. The cool evening grass tickling her toes as she ran along the outside of the barn.

He hoped in only a matter of days, if not a week he could be there with her. Finally embrace her in his arms fully. Fulfill this aching in his chest to wrap her up and never let her go again. All of those thoughts and images made the present bearable. Beth made things bearable. Maybe she really had become his vice.

Stripping down to his boxers he crawls into bed like so many evenings before. Settling into a deep slumber there is only the sound of her voice and the warmth of her body against him. Her legs tangled in his and her head nuzzled into his chest as if she can't possibly get close enough to his heart. Just to make sure it's still beating as he does with her. As her singing subsides Beth whispers so many soft words he can barely make out between kisses and giggles in the dark.

He clutches her closer and unlike any of the other dreams this one feels so real because they're in his bed. This dreamscape feels too comfortable and familiar in a way that makes him so eager it's almost frightening. The need drawing him closer and closer to her is a constant reminder. He needs to get to Senoia.

Waking up suddenly he looks around the dark of his bedroom. No noise from outside the door indicates Merle would be home. No surprise there. Looking at the clock he realizes he's been asleep a few hours.

Getting up from the bed he quickly hones in on Beth and finds her at the kitchen sinking scrubbing dishes. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail and she's wearing that same sundress from earlier that ties around her neck. The blue and grey paisley pattern complimenting her eyes beautifully. Before he knew he'd felt this way he'd feel guilty looking in on her like this. Soaking up every inch of her creamy, delicate flesh. The flush on her cheeks from the heat of the summer added to the heat of the kitchen. The oven behind her still cooling down.

 _Wish I could give ya a hand with those, darlin,_ he chuckles in her ear.

 _I'd make you wash. Shawn usually helps me dry them at least but, ya know._

He watches her slender hands set the rest of the dishes in the rack to dry and towels off quickly. No matter how mundane the task he loves to watch the way her hands move. Everything she does an elegant orchestra compared to his clumsy mitts.

 _What are you doing?_ She smiles at him coyly. _Your hands are a lot nicer lookin' than mine. And those arms..._

He laughs out loud at her in embarrassment but he feels a little smug knowings she wants his hands on her like she does. Even though he still feels dirty and clumsy with hands that have seen and done what he's done he's glad that she wants them. Glad that she wants _him_.

She says a quick goodnight to her parents and heads upstairs for the night. Getting ready for bed and taking her hair out of the ponytail she gives him a kittenish grin.

"I can't stop thinking about seein' you in person," she gushes blushing deeply.

"I'm gonna talk to Bob tomorrow and figure it out."

"Are you okay? After what happened today?"

He nods his head a couple of times before lying down on his side, propping his head up under his arm.

"I know it's time to go and it scares the hell outta me but I'm glad you're the reason I'm goin'."

"It's complicated and messy," she laughs untying the knot at the top of her dress. Beth shimmies out of the dress and pulls a large t-shirt over her head. "I know it's scary too but everything is telling me it's time, Daryl. We can't wait anymore."

"I know, darlin'. Nothin' good ever came easy or worth fightin' for."

Crawling into her bed she reaches out to touch his shoulders, shocking him instantly making them both jump. He turns to face her and his vision aligns with hers, face to face, that same sapphire blue shining brighter than any stone.

Not with sadness or tears but love, utter realization and acceptance.


	15. Chapter 15

Early the next morning Daryl hears Merle stumbling into the apartment and springs up from his bed to find him three sheets to the wind. He'd suspected him of drinking before but now Merle was blatantly fucking things up for himself again.

"Better not be fuckin' with anythin' else. If Bob gets back a piss test and ya ain't clean, I ain't gonna vouch for ya," Daryl shrugged groggily from the doorway.

"Couple of drink between friends ain't gonna hurt nobody, baby brother," Merle pawed at his his jacket struggling to get it off. He had a hazy smile on his lips and smelled like the cheap booze. "Don't you worry."

"I don't know what the fuck ya want me to do, Merle."

"Don't gotta do nothin'. Go back to sleep. Don't ya got work in the mornin'?"

"Wish I could say the same fer you. Bob's been leavin' voicemails right and left tryin' to get a hold of yer ass. Went to pick ya up from that meetin' yesterday and yer fuckin' cronies show up to take ya to the bar afterwards?"

 _Leave it,_ she whispered against his mind and reached out to calm him, the warmth of her hands on his shoulders alleviating some of the tension. _There's nothing you can say to him that will make him see what he's doing is wrong._

"Bob ain't my keeper. Don't gotta worry about that fool. All I gotta do is keep handing out them resumes and goin' to them meetings and he'll do whatever I say."

"Get it the fuck together, Merle."

Beth was watching him carefully, trying to hold him close to her heart in her mind. Working so hard to keep them in once piece. He was already so close to being free from this burden if only he could endure it for a little longer.

"I said I'm goin' to the meetings. Doin' what I gotta do, ain't I? No reason to go tattlin," Merle grinned back at him with dark eyes. When he was under the influence of any substance they'd slip away to that empty place. "Don't think ya gotta any sort of authority over me, baby brother."

 _Go, Daryl,_ she tugged desperately trying to get him to leave before things escalated. _Please._

"Ain't nothin' I gotta do to keep ya from fuckin' yer life up anymore. I got bigger things to worry about. Better shit than this," he gestured to the cramped apartment around him. None of this shit mattered to him anymore.

"That's the fuckin' problem though, ain't it? Always thought you were too good for me. Sitting pretty with yer little job and yer little apartment. Think yer so much better than me, do ya?" Merle snarled and the anger within him began to grow.

Beth tugged back harder. Internally begging, pleading Daryl to get out before he did something he might regret. He had to get out of this clean. He remembered that he wasn't only trying to protect himself but Beth as well. Anything that Merle did to him would directly go to her and he wasn't willing to put her through any more than he already had. Not being able to fully protect her physically was something that plagued him in a way he couldn't begin to fathom.

"Get it the fuck together," Daryl growled again before closing the bedroom door behind him.

Running his hands through his hair he slumps down on the bed. Things were coming more and more clear as the evidence presented itself. Merle wasn't doing him any favors by actually keeping his shit together.

 _You can't trust anything he says, Daryl. He's not in his right mind,_ she pressed trying to make him see the severity of the situation. If he didn't get out soon something was going to land him in trouble too and that wasn't something Beth was sure she was prepared to handle.

"Can't wait to get the fuck away from this shit," he mumbled angrily not bothering to keep his voice hidden. What did he care if Merle thought he talked to himself? After the bullshit he pulled, who wouldn't end up talking to themselves?

 _You're closer than you know_ , Beth smiled at him brightly holding her hand to her chest. After all they had been through in such a short period of time she felt closer to him than anyone she had ever met in her life. _He's out there. Let him stay there. You're here. With me._

And he was. Her blissful glee was enough to lift the weight from his chest and make him remember that soon enough she would be in his arms for real. As surreal as that felt Daryl couldn't help but smile. Maybe more of a sideways grin but it was enough to relax them both. He was glad she had that effect on him. Only something that alcohol and the occasional high had before. Beth was better than any bullshit he'd sucked into his lungs. Better than any corrosive alcohol guzzling down his throat.

The high she gave him was pure and clean. Better than anything Merle could produce in some back alley shack or try to score from some guy he knew.

"Everything about you tears me up inside, girl. Ain't never felt like that before," he confessed reaching out to touch her face. Even in the wee hours of the morning he could see the way she glowed. A permanent halo surrounding her body.

"It's so hard to explain how I feel for you," she whispered hoping not to wake anyone up. As much as she enjoyed the ability to communicate nonverbally, it felt strange not to speak out loud when he did when they were safe in the cocoon of their minds.

"Mmm, ya don't gotta," he chuckled against her shoulder, his lips barely hovering above her skin. Buzzing causing every hair to stand on end. "I feel it, Beth. Feel it all."

"I feel like I'm restless…" she trailed off running her fingers through his shaggy hair, pushing back his bangs to see his eyes more clearly. "I feel like I won't feel okay until you're here with me. Until I know that you're safe."

"Don't ya worry, baby girl. Everything's gonna be just fine. Gonna call Bob in a few hours and get this shit sorted out. Call into the shop and let 'em know I got an emergency and need a few days off and I'll be on the road. On my way to you."

"Promise me you'll be careful around him until everything is settled? We don't know what those men are capable of."

Daryl knew good and well what Joe and Len were capable of. He'd seen them, he'll he'd participated, in some pretty shady shit he'd rather have never Beth find out about. If he could keep those things from her he would because he wasn't that person anymore.

"Daryl," Beth cupped his face with her hands, so much smaller in comparison to his large frame. "You aren't like them. I _know_ that."

"Don't matter anymore anyway. Keep thinkin' if I run from my past it'll go away but I accepted that shit a long time ago. Or at least I keep tellin' myself that."

"You gotta put that all away. I see who you are...I feel it," she sighed with tears brimming, ready to fall. They weren't sad but proud. Proud of the man he had become.

"Beth?"

The bathroom door connected to her bedroom opened abruptly and a disgruntled looking Shawn was on the other side squinting and scratching his head.

"I have a lab in like, three hours. What are you doing up? Who the hell are you talking to?"

Beth scrambled up to try to figure out a quick explanation but the racing of her heart along with Daryl's made it hard to get the words out.

"I couldn't sleep and I was watching some videos on my phone and -"

"Do you still have my book?" He asked gruffly cutting her off.

Coming into her room and snatching it up off the table. Since the day she'd asked to borrow 'Carrie' she hadn't even cracked it open.

"Did you finish it?"

"Yeah, um...a couple of days ago."

"Alright well, go to sleep! You've got work in the morning, don't you?"

He turned and shut the door behind him and stomped back to his room. With the click of his bedroom door shutting her vision was instantly lapsed back into Daryl's before she could blink. It was almost as if her body knew when to make the switch without needed to be directed. If she hadn't been so startled by Shawn it might have made more of an impact on her.

 _Ya alright?_ Daryl asked her with a tenderness to his voice that suddenly melted away her worries. Sorry... _should have been more careful, huh? Got a little careless talkin' out loud like that._

 _It's not your fault. Shawn is half asleep, he won't think a thing of it._

 _I fuckin' hope not. People thinkin' yer talkin' to yerself ain't the worst thing in the world even if he doesn't believe ya._

Nuzzling back against the pillows she finds her space against his chest and they envelop in one another completely. Taking in his scent into her nostrils it flows over her becoming more intoxicating with every breath. The smell of leather from the vest he'd worn earlier that day, motor oil and sweat, that unique smell that could only be described as _Daryl_.

 _That's it, baby girl,_ he chuckles audibly planting a gentle kiss on her temple. _Relax._

He smirks at her thoughts, loving her for everything that runs through that head of hers. There's nothing he has to say or has to tell her that she doesn't already know and that gives him a sense of comfort he's never known before. Being connected to her in this way had filled those tiny, broken cracks inside of him that couldn't be repaired.

Their heartbeats synchronize and a sense of peace falls over them both. Beyond the walls of their minds and the things that plagued them were obstacles and tribulations they would come to when the time came but for now they had this.

At work Daryl tries to keep things off his mind as best as he can. By the time he gets around to his first break of the day he's already done a few oil changes and replaced some brake pads but no matter what he does his mind keeps reverting back to her. Seeing her playing with Judith on the floor. A long braid cascading down the side of her elegant neck. She wore a smile on her lips but Daryl could sense the uneasiness in her shoulders that he felt in his too. If he was going to get out of this, he had to do it for her.

Working beside him Aaron rambled on about the deck that he and Eric were looking to build at the house they'd just bought. A couple weeks back he'd asked Daryl if he'd help them get it started if he threw in dinner and a case of beer. Of course Daryl obliged but now had no recollection of the conversation on top of all the other worries floating around in his head.

"So, I'm thinking we'll go out and get the lumber maybe this weekend or next. We've already got the layout ready to go, but I figure you're the man with the plan," Aaron smiled taking a step back to wipe the grease off his hands. "How does that sound?"

"Gotta talk to ya about somethin' actually. Merle is becomin' more than I can handle."

"What's going on?" Aaron's face suddenly dropped and his tone became more concerning. "Is he using again? Selling?"

"Don't know fer sure, but anythin' is possible at this point. Came home shitfaced early this morning and we got into it. Gotta get a hold of his probation worker and get him outta my hair."

Daryl hung his head trying to keep his eyes off Aaron. They hadn't been the best of friends but Aaron was aware of the situation and he was and understanding person, but still Daryl felt ashamed for putting this burden on him.

"You need some time to deal with things?" Aaron reached cautiously to put an hand on Daryl's shoulder. He knew what kind of person Daryl was and always respected his boundaries. It was something he hadn't experienced from most people and although he never thanked him for it he hope he knew it meant something to him.

"It's never been a problem," Aaron smiles doing his best to comfort him in the only way Daryl can accept it, awkward or not. "You never took those personal days and we'll tack on a couple more for a family emergency."

Nodding his head Daryl takes a step back to wipe his own hands off. He couldn't see Beth but could feel her there on the outskirts of his mind as she usually was. Maybe it was time he confided in Aaron about this too.

"There's somethin' else."

"Oh? What's that?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

This would be difficult to explain but it didn't mean he needed to go into detail necessarily. His relationship with Beth was complicated at best without any added parties thinking he was crazy.

"Met this girl," Daryl mumbled. "She lives in Senoia and I've been promisin' her fer weeks I'd go out and see her. Just a couple of days."

"Really?" Aaron's eyes lit up and he smiled enthusiastically. "That's great, man! I hope you bring her up here sometime. Eric and I would love to meet her."

If Daryl had known any better he thought Aaron was ready to go in for a big bear hug and that wasn't something he was ready for. As much as he appreciated everything his friend did for him, old habits died hard.

"Maybe. Wouldn't want her anywhere near Merle. Just ain't safe," he pawed at his phone pulling up Bob's number.

"Understandable. Well give me the word and you're golden for as long as you need, alright?"

"Thanks."

Daryl gave him a quick handshake and a nod and excused himself for a break. Of course Bob didn't answer the phone after a couple of tries, as it often took him some time to get back to people. Pushing his nerves aside he waited to leave a voicemail.

"Listen Bob, it ain't workin' out with Merle anymore. He can't be livin' with me. Tried to get him to get a job and keep his act together but I can't handle it anymore," the words tumbled out before he could really compose them. "Gotta see if we can get him in some sort of sober living house or somethin' if he can stay clean for long enough. I'm gonna need ya to give me a call back."

Ending the call quickly he's glad at least that step has been made and Bob will know. It was better than running away as he'd told himself before. This wasn't just his battle to fight anymore. This was for Beth too.

Leaning back on the bench to try to enjoy the rest of his break he hones in on her rocking Judith in her nursery with a satisfied look on her face. No doubt she'd seen him, heard what he had said to Aaron.

 _Ain't never seen a woman look more beautiful with a baby in her arms than you do,_ he thought absentmindedly taken back by the simplicity of her beauty.

Children and babies had always made him feel so out of place, never having had a normal family unit but something about Beth made him crave that. The need to grow and build a life with someone. Something bigger than himself.

 _Daryl Dixon, you know how to make a girl blush, don't ya?_ Beth smiled widely cheeks flushed a soft pink, little dimples forming.

 _Just tellin' the truth._

 _Sometimes I don't correct people when they think she's mine._ Beth confessed biting her lip. _I'd never tell Lori that of course but it's fun to pretend, you know?_

 _Still got plenty of time, girl. Yer gonna be a great momma some day._

It was never something Daryl had put much thought into. He never thought he would want to be a parent because he didn't know how to be one. It wasn't like he had anyone to look back on from example. His mother tried her best but it still wasn't enough. Not enough to show him what a real family should be like. Merle had been the only sort of family he'd had left besides his grandparents.

Something about seeing Beth with that baby stirred something up deep inside him that he couldn't explain. The things she did to him and made him feel things he couldn't quite comprehend but he wanted to face them head on. He wanted to do this for the both of them. Their bond was too strong to try to pull away from now.

If the chances of them ever becoming more than what they already were, he would do anything he could to protect their family if they had one. If that was something she wanted too.

 _Daryl, quit bein' shy,_ she gushed at him biting her lip, _I'm hearing and feelin' everythin' you're thinkin'. You know that, right?_

 _Oh yeah, girl,_ he shook his head bashfully. _Pretty fuckin' embarrassing. Can't hide anythin' from ya even if I wanted to._

 _That's not somethin' you gotta hide from me._ Beth got up slowly and placed Judith in her crib. Turning on the baby monitor she tiptoed her way out into the living room.

 _I think about that a lot, too,_ she admitted to him without hesitation despite the pink that spread across her cheeks. _It's hard not to being around Judy all the time but I mean...it's like my body is screaming at me or somethin'._

She laughed out loud then and it dispelled his nerves. That throaty, inhibited laugh that came deep from her stomach. He could feel it too. That primal, animalistic tug that made him absolutely crazy being so far from her. Sometimes it was a sense of panic but all he could he could be reminded of at the moment was that soon enough he'd get to experience everything about her. All of these things mixed together left them both in a permanent blissful high. Sitting on the bench Daryl grinned back at her shaking his head.

 _Ya got me real fucked up, girl,_ he laughed leaning forward with the elbow on his legs. _Always thinkin' about ya. Bein' with ya._

 _I feel like I'm crawlin' out of my skin, Daryl. Is this normal?_

 _I don't know. Ain't ever felt like this.,_ Daryl shrugged glancing at his watch. A couple more minutes wouldn't hurt for now. _Never really done any of this shit with anybody before._

 _What? Shared a conscious mind?_ Beth joked sarcastically.

 _Nah, you know what I mean._

 _Yeah, I know._

They both sat in silence for a while soaking up the pure, nervous energy that flowed between them that was so genuine and heartfelt it left them both in a daze. This quickly developing emotion Daryl could only recognize as love was scary, if not downright horrifying but her knowing reassuring smile made him slowly more willing to welcome these feelings as they came.

 _Gotta get back to work,_ he smirked wishing he could reach out and hold her there. Or even at home where he could be with her. _You look sleepy. Why don't ya take a nap while the baby sleeps, hmm?_

Beth smiled at him and turned over on her side nuzzling into the couch. _Quit wishin', Daryl. You're gonna see me soon. For real._

He nodded his head and went back to work keeping her close to him all the while. The sounds of her soft breath soothed his nerves and left him feeling like he was floating right along with her. Sometimes she would murmur something he couldn't quite make out and he would fight back a grin. This girl had him wrapped around her finger and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"You okay?" Aaron interjected his thoughts.

"Ya. Feelin' better, I guess."

"Good. Did you talk to her?" Aaron shot him a smile and Daryl couldn't hold back either.

"Mmhm."

"What's her name?"

"Beth."

Daryl realized then it was the first time he'd never said he name to another person. The way it felt on his lips felt right. Oddly natural.

"What's she like?"

Normally he'd never divulge this much personal information but Aaron wasn't just anyone. He was different. Understood that Daryl was sensitive and didn't let most people in.

"Tough as nails, sarcastic, beautiful. Too fucking good fer me."

"I highly doubt that last part. Sounds to me like she couldn't be a better match for you."

Daryl shrugged off the last comment and went back to work. Whatever part of this bizarre universe had granted him to come into Beth Greene's life he was thankful for it. There was no need to question how or why she wanted to be with him. Now it was only a matter of getting to her.

When Daryl gets off work that evening he's not surprised to find the apartment empty. Merle hadn't bothered to keep up with any of the rules that had been set let alone a curfew. None of this behavior his brother was displaying really surprised Daryl but a part of him had really hoped maybe Merle would actually try this time. Maybe he would see what life could be like without trying to cut corners all the time. It was a short lived thought he pushed out of his mind whenever it came up. Maybe that was Beth's optimism shining through.

Stripping off his dirty work clothes he turns the shower on and melts beneath the stream. The tension in his muscles runs deep but the steaming hot water slowly relaxes him as best as possible. Running his hands through his shaggy, overgrown hair Daryl starts to feel a little better. A little more human again for a moment.

Having her there on the horizon of his future brought a sense of hope he hadn't felt before. Beth had made him see very quickly that he could open his heart to someone else. He had more in him than he ever thought he had. The intensity and passion that she held within her heart thudded deep within his chest too and he was appreciative for that. Beth _made_ him feel things he never even knew existed. She pushed him to the edge and held him there. Neither were afraid because they kept each other safe.

Toweling off and changing into a wifebeater and a pair of sweatpants Daryl makes himself a quick dinner of ramen noodles. With the day he'd had he didn't have the energy to deal with much else. Taking a moment to check in on Beth he sees her helping with dinner at the Grimes' home. Judith was a mess covered in spaghetti. She was laughing and screeching, rubbing sauce and noodles into her hair while the rest of the family looked on in amusement. After a few moments Lori and Beth went to clean her up and shortly after Beth said her goodbyes.

Getting into her car and driving back to the farm he watches her intently knowing she feels him there.

"Hey, you," Beth flashes him a grin.

"Ain't supposed to talk and drive. Didn't ya know that?"

"Not on the phone, am I?"

Daryl snickers at her but doesn't say anything word. Watches her drive on in silence until she arrives home. It had been a particularly warm day in Senoia and she'd worn a pair of cut off denim shorts and blue a tank top with tiny, little black polka dots all over it. Accompanied with the dirty, beat up old converse she always wore he thought it might have been the most beautiful she'd ever looked.

Her ponytail had began to fall a little. Wisps of hair escaping around her ears, the hair tie slumping down. Judith had most likely been pulling at it all day as she normally did. On the base of her neck were a few sticky tomato handprints she must have missed while cleaning up the baby earlier.

"Did you talk to Bob?" Beth asks hopefully as she pulls up in front of the barn.

"Nah. Left him a voicemail though."

"Call him again. I'm sure he's just busy but let him know how urgent this is, Daryl. It's not fair you have to sit around worrying. Maybe he can get Merle in somewhere or at least on some sort of wait list or something…"

It was still early in the evening but as the sun was beginning to set the sky before Beth was cast with dusty clouds. Rich golds and oranges reflected through the windshield back on her face swallowing her in color. The vision in his mind displaying a golden goddess before him. Times like this he couldn't decipher whether she was real or not. How could anyone this beautiful, this knowledgeable and loving truly exist? He'd have to find out in person to be sure. That much he was reminded of every day.

"Daryl," she grinned at him and fiddled with the necklace around her neck. "Call him."

"Ya got sauce on yer neck."

She pulled down the mirror in her car and saw there was indeed sauce on her neck from earlier. Laughing and waving him off Beth goes inside the house and leaves him to take care of the task at hand.

To Daryl's surprise Bob actually answered after the third ring.

"Daryl, I am so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner," he apologized genuinely. "Merle has been getting by the skin of his teeth and I'm not exactly thrilled with him either."

"I can't handle it anymore, man. I need him out," Daryl answered honestly. There was no reason to beat around the bush at this point. He wasn't going to put up with any more shit than he needed to. "Is there somethin' we can do?"

"I understand you're frustrated with him and you're not seeing eye to eye. I get that."

"It's a lot more than that. He's not showing up fer curfew, going to the meetings with old drinkin' buddies, handing out resumes but not going to any interviews. I don't know what the hell to do with him."

"He's been drinking?"

That same instinct came back that told him to lie and stick it out for Merle but a pang of guilt in his stomach made him feel sick. He wasn't that stupid little kid anymore following his brother around, doing whatever he said at any cost.

"Yeah."

"Okay," Bob let out a deep sigh. "We'll figure something out. I'll make some calls and hopefully I can meet with you to find somewhere else for Merle or this is it. I can't make any more excuses for him and neither can you."

"Yeah. Yer right about that."

Bob assured him things would fall into place and Daryl would get his life back. Merle had done enough damage in the short time he'd been back in the real world. And that was only what they knew of. That was the thing that made him worry the most.

Tossing his phone on the bed he makes no attempts to call Merle on the shitty prepaid phone he'd picked up for him. There was no reason to go after him or warn him again of the mistakes he'd made. Watching him destroy his life again and again was a slow, painful process but knowing he could look away was a new concept entirely.

 _He's not worth it,_ Beth said flatly. The sauce and the polka dot summer outfit was gone. Replace by wet hair brushed to the side, hanging down her back and sheer summer nightgown. He could smell the flowery fragrant soap she'd used filling his nostrils the moment she spoke. _Don't give him a second thought._

"He ain't worth a goddamn thing," Daryl chewed at his fingernail as he mumbled.

 _Nope. He's not. So, when are you going to come see me?_ She gushed at him laughing at same loud, ecstatic giggle that coursed through his head.

"Soon. Real soon, darlin," he sighed wishing he could give her a better answer than that. A girl like Beth deserved to have someone there with her all the time. "As soon as I get this Merle shit figured out. As soon as he's gone, I'm outta here."

"Really?" She said out loud with wide eyes forgetting all about the incident early this morning. "Maybe a few days even?"

"Maybe. Not sure yet but Aaron said whenever I need the days to just ask for 'em and they're mine."

Beth looked pleased by his response but he could still feel a sense of worry lingering within them both.

"You alright?"

He reached out to push her damp hair behind her ear. The moisture on his fingertips was very real. Just as she was.

"I'm just worried about you," she said softly. Her round blue eyes were starting to brim with tears but she held them there. "I'm so worried something is going to happen with Merle and you're going to get hurt. That those men will find out you talked to Bob."

"Nah, that ain't gonna happen, darlin," he assured her with a grin. He'd already fallen in love so deeply with this woman. Her good nature was something that flowed within him now and every shared thought and idea was a reminder of that. "Nothin' is happenin' to keep me from ya."

Daryl let out a nervous sigh despite his words of confidence. Anything was possible between now and then. Merle was a ticking time bomb and you never knew how he was going to react. He could either tell Daryl to kiss his ass and walk out the door or he'd show up looking for a fight. The possibilities were sobering in that respect. He'd have to do this carefully to keep he and Beth out of harm's way.

"Promise you'll leave as soon as you can?"

"I promise."

Sitting in silence for a moment he only focuses on her. The flush of her ivory skin warm and inviting, he can feel the heat coming off of her and in turn it's overwhelming. She gives him a shy smile casting her gaze away from his. It's so hard to hold back and not let her see what a fool he is for her. He knows she wouldn't be surprised either.

Out of all the shit he'd put himself through in life he never thought he would ever get a chance at a life with someone like Beth.

"What is it?" She asks him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "What, Daryl?"

"Just ready to be with ya already," Daryl admitted.

"So am I."

She smiled at him sheepishly and there was a sweet shyness between them suddenly. Everything that Daryl made her feel was so tender and heartfelt. The restlessness that made her eager to have him by her side subsided in moments like this when they could melt into each other and forget if only for a short time.

Daryl couldn't wait to finally see the blues of her eyes for himself. To reach out and touch the softness of her skin. To embrace her body against his not in a dream state or one another's minds but within the same plane of existence. These thoughts made him feel giddy in a way he couldn't quite express but it was a welcome distraction and he was willing to take all he could get.

Since having stopped smoking for Beth's sake, Daryl's caffeine intake had increased drastically. It hadn't been too bad at first but now he found himself craving it. Trading one vice for another. Buzzing on both glee and worry he knows sleep won't come easy anyways.

"Spare me and go with decaf this time, huh?" Beth smirked as she watched him dig around in the cabinet for a tin of coffee.

"What makes ya think I'm makin' coffee?"

"Don't have to be telepathic to know that, Daryl."

"Mmmm, I think ya just like readin' my mind."

"Oh I do," Beth laughed laying back in her bed. "Nothing I love more than lookin' inside your head. Or when I get that weird feeling...like a shiver down my spine." With a sly grin she arches backwards mimicking the feeling with exaggeration. "And I'm feeling everything you're feeling."

"Gonna be feelin' this coffee pretty quick if I don't find the decaf pretty soon, girl."

"Don't gotta be telepathic to tell you ya probably don't have any."

"Nah," Daryl mumbled trifling through a cabinet further up that he rarely used. "Know I got some somewhere in here."

"At least put some more sugar and cream in it this time. I don't know how you drink it black."

Finally finding what he'd been looking for in the corner of the cabinet Daryl fishes down the can of coffee. The second he opens it a flood of anger gushes through his veins. There in the tin sat a ziplock bag of smaller bags all filled with crystal meth. Throwing the can against the ground he slinks down onto the floor not even trying to keep the tears from streaming down his face.

"Daryl, you have to go," she pressed eagerly trying to show him the severity of the situation. "If Merle comes back and finds out you-"

"Fuck," he swore under his ragged breath.

" _Daryl_ ," she begged. "Please."

Running his hands through his hair Daryl tries to control this breathing to combat the thoughts running through his mind. Both his and Beth's. The frenzy of of fear and distress had him shaking so forcefully she actually reached out to steady his hands.

"You gotta go," Beth whispered tenderly. "You can't stay here anymore."

Tears streamed down his face as he nodded in agreement. She was right. The longer he waited around for something to happen the greater the risks were. That can had been a ticking time bomb and he had found it. He wondered if maybe Merle had wanted him to but he didn't want to stick around to find out.

"What am I gonna do about Bob? What the fuck am I supposed to say? I sell him out and I'm as good as dead."

"Daryl," she pleaded, pacing the perimeter of her bedroom like a caged animal. "You can't worry about what could happen you have to _go_. You gotta get yourself out."

"That even legal? Me up and leaving like this when he's on parole? Fuck," Daryl swore scrambling to his feet. Retrieving the can he angrily puts the lid back on and tucks it away back into the hiding spot. "This ain't good, Beth."

"I know," she whispered shaking her head in disbelief.

Standing in the center of her room and he in the middle of his cramped kitchen their planes of vision evened out as if they were standing face to face. Pulling herself into his arms Beth tried to remind herself that she was strong enough for the both of them. She could be the security, the hope and faith he needed to go on. He needed to be reminded of all the reasons this life wasn't meant for him anymore.

"You're gonna pack a bag and get on your bike," she instructed slowly. "Go over to Aaron's and let him know what's going on, okay?"

Daryl let out an uneasy breath and nodded his head again slowly feeling the shaking diminishing with the soothing sound of her voice in his head.

"Get a hotel for the night? Out of town so Merle can't come looking for you. Then you're coming to Senoia."

He pulled her closer to him if that were even possible. That seemed to be the biggest problem they had with these powers. That barrier would always be there. The gnawing, aching need to have her nearer and nearing was all consuming. Even at a time like this when he was worried for both of their lives.

"Don't understand why it's gotta fuckin' be like this," he chuckled sadly.

"Because I'm here to help you," Beth reminded him. "Because whatever cosmic circumstances brought us together decided that you and I needed each other. It's so much more than what we think it is, Daryl. So much more than either of us could ever comprehend but that's not that point. This isn't about telepathy or the reason why we can hear and feel what we do. It's about me and you. Simple as that."

"Yeah," Daryl agreed still in somewhat of a daze.

"Everything is gonna be okay. You have to remember that. I'm right here," she held her palm to her heart and took her free hand to reach for his, bringing his hand to his own heart. "Feel that? Same heart. Same beat."

The thud in his chest was so strong, so heavy it was almost painful but he knew she was right. They were one now.

Beth was so intune with her own feelings as well as Daryl's she hadn't heard the bathroom door open nor had she realized Shawn had been there for some time until the abrupt _click_ of the light brought her back to reality.

The bathroom door slid open slowly and there her brother stood with a concerned look on his face.

They had been found out. How much had he heard? He had suspected her strange behavior long before the previous morning. Surely Shawn had put two and two together.

"Beth?" He asked clearly stepping forward. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah," she stammered suddenly feeling her legs begging to weaken. Daryl held her upright but the damage was done. "I couldn't sleep and I-"

"Who were you talking to?"

"I was on the phone."

"Beth, I heard you," Shawn laughed rubbing his eyes. The horrified look on his sister's face gave it all away. "What's going on?"

"Shawn...I don't really know if I can tell you," she stammered trying to backpedal her way through the last hour or so in which she'd spoken out loud. He had to have heard everything.

"Is this why you asked me about telekinesis? About telepathy?"

He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder and the moment his fingers touched her skin a shock surprised them both causing Beth to call out.

 _It's okay, baby doll. He knows._ Daryl comforted her feeling every ounce of the horror of knowing they had been caught.

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

"I think we live in a world where anything is possible, Beth," he said with confidence. "And if you've seen or experienced something I'm not just going to believe you because you're my sister."

 _See? He ain't gonna have ya taken away to the loony bin. Shawn seems like a good kid. He believes ya._ Daryl whispered against her ear. He'd made her feel safe and protected just as she had done for him only moments ago. _Everything is gonna be okay._

"He's in trouble."

"He?"

"Daryl."

"Oh, okay," Shawn nodded sensing the fear and desperation in his sister's voice. "What kind of trouble?"

"I can't tell you," she bit her lip suddenly feeling overwhelmed with Daryl behind her and Shawn standing in front of her. The sensation of his world versus hers was becoming too much to handle.

"How long has this been going on for?" Shawn led her to the bed sitting down with her on the edge.

 _Daryl, please. You gotta get goin' before Merle comes back. I can handle Shawn._

 _Sweetheart,_ his gruff laugh echoed through her head. _I ain't goin' anywhere till I know you're alright first._

 _I won't be okay until you're here with me._

 _I'm on my way._ Daryl nodded and continued doing as she had instructed but watched on carefully.

"Beth?" Shawn shook her shoulder gently trying to get her to answer him.

"A while. I've seen him in my head for a while but we only recently figured out we could communicate," she confessed. "It's hard to explain but he's a part of me, Shawn. I can feel everything he does."

"Shit," he let out a small laugh. "This is fucking crazy."

"You think I'm crazy?"

"No," Shawn shrugged. "I think you've always been intuitive in a weird way, you know? It kind of makes sense."

Perhaps he was right. Beth had always been a deeply emotional child. She often felt for those around her in a way others didn't show empathy.

"I thought I might have been losing my mind at first," she laughed wiping away the residual tears with the back of her hand. "But he's real."

"Does anyone else know?"

"Lori knows about him but, not about the mind readin' or anything," Beth sighed. "How long were you in the bathroom for?"

"A while. I didn't really start paying attention to what you were saying until you got upset."

"Are you gonna tell anyone?"

"Really, Beth?"

She took a glance at Daryl hurriedly stuffing clothes into a backpack. He was only a few hours from her but driving this late wasn't a good idea. Riding on dark roads was one thing but the anxiety that fueled them both only added more danger to the situation.

"I don't know. You gotta understand if anybody finds out about this they'd send me away. Daddy would think I was possessed with the devil or something."

"Like I'd let that happen," Shawn pinched her arm. "No one is going to find out. You don't have to tell me about this tonight but tomorrow, I expect some sort of explanation, alright?"

Shawn got up to leave her room just as Daryl got on his bike. Knowing that her brother now knew this secret and was willing to keep it coupled with the fact that Daryl would soon be in Senoia would have knocked her on her feet had she not already been sitting down.

"Okay," she gave him a weak smile.

"Everything is gonna be fine," Shawn assured her before closing the door.

 _He's right, Beth._ Daryl squeezed her hand gently. _We're gonna be alright._

The roar of the engine comforted her in a strange way and suddenly sleep didn't seem so impossible.

 _Rest, babydoll. It's gonna be a long ride._


End file.
